The World Has Its Shine
by hOtlilmofo
Summary: Ryleigh Denning is the supermodel/actress guest starring on Raw.  Stu Bennett is the on-screen leader of Nexus.  When their world's collide, can either of them manage to escape the instant attraction unscathed?  Wade Barrett/OC
1. Chapter 1

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin. That's it. And seeing as Justin is based on my bestest friend in the world, who lives across the country, but I still love dearly, I technically don't really own him either. He owns himself… And George, though he is only mentioned, isn't owned by me either. He's in Hollywood Undead and owns himself, as does everyone in the WWE and anyone aside from Ryleigh and Justin.**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Clearly, I don't know when to stop adding new stories. But I figured what the hell. I'm only young once. Besides, I had that poll a while ago, and everyone wanted more Wade, so I started playing around with some ideas. This one had the most promise, when I outlined what I was thinking of doing. So, please read it, review it, and I'll keep updating. You all know I love hearing what you think :o) And this is the first story I've written in years, in which the main character wasn't named Jamie…just sayin….lol Love you guys! XoXoXoXoXo**

**Oh! And one last thing, the outfit I describe, I used Google and my brain to figure out…let me tell you…I want those damn shoes! lol**

* * *

Ryleigh Denning. She wasn't someone that would be expected to be Monday Night Raw's guest star. Not by a long shot. In fact, when the WWE Universe heard of her upcoming appearance, everyone was completely confused at how that even came to be. Hell, the WWE Superstars were completely shocked that Vince McMahon was somehow able to convince someone with her caliber of fame to be on the show. The guys were definitely more than excited to have her around. That was for sure. Some of the Divas weren't exactly looking forward to it. They knew that with the world famous supermodel turned actress was bound to get the attention they so craved from the men that they worked with day in, day out. They didn't want to give that up to some one-time visitor. But all in all, it was panning out to be a big deal, as it had been advertised all over the place, and when Ryleigh did her interviews, she spoke about the upcoming event. It looked to be a huge deal.

Ryleigh was beyond excited to be appearing on Raw. What people who didn't know much about her didn't realize was that she had been a lifelong fan of the WWE. In fact, if anyone had bothered to look up some information about her, one would find out that she always said that if she hadn't gotten into modeling, she would have absolutely pursued a career in professional wrestling. That's what convinced McMahon that approaching Ryleigh was more than likely going to pan out very well for him. Hearing that the Victoria's Secret cover girl considered herself obsessed with the WWE was immediate grounds for him to contact her and offer up the spot of guest star.

The day Ryleigh's agent had informed her of the phone call Vince McMahon personally made, she thought it would be the best day of her entire life. That was, of course, until she actually pulled up to the arena for the evening's taping. She promised herself that she wasn't going to act like a fan but instead a professional who was there to work and not act like an imbecile. The second she hopped out of the limo, though, she was jumping up and down like a child on Christmas morning. The brunette bombshell was overwhelmed with excitement, as the adrenaline began pumping through her veins. The three cups of coffee in the limo on her way from the airport didn't exactly hinder the bursts of energy she was feeling. It was exciting and nerve-wracking for her. Though Ryleigh had no idea how the Superstars and Divas were going to react to her presence, she was still very excited to meet everyone. She was beside herself with anticipation.

The first order of business for the afternoon, seeing as it was only 2:00 PM when Ryleigh had arrived, was to meet the CEO himself, Mister Vincent Kennedy McMahon. He hadn't been present at many of the Raw tapings for the past few months, but with the arrival of one of the world's most famous celebrities, he felt it imperative to greet her when she arrived. Seeing as he had been fairly concerned with the declining ratings of the show, McMahon was nearly desperate for something so big it would give the long-running show the huge boost it needed. He was beyond confident that she would be the one to get that ratings boost for him. Everything she touched turned to platinum. Her last film grossed well over five hundred million dollars at the Box Office. Granted, that wasn't necessarily all Ryleigh, seeing as it was a Martin Scorsese film, which also starred a number of famous, well-respected, talented actors. She felt honored to be offered a part and was completely shocked with the outpouring of acclaim she received for her performance. Vince knew this was going to be a huge night, and he wanted to be there to witness it.

The twenty-five year old success story was practically running to the entrance in her black five-inch Christian Louboutin Star Prive heels, which were paired with her Dolce and Gabbana stone wash skinny jeans, topped off with a black top that was tight around the abdomen, but looser and draped off of one shoulder on the top half. Her long brunette hair cascaded down her back in the loose curls that she'd had earlier in the day for her interview with a daytime talk show. It was long, and she liked it that way. It was maybe two or three inches away from reaching the small of her back.. Her make up was perfect. Her personal assistant, Justin, was walking behind her, carrying her Louie Vuitton bag, along with his date book, cell phone and cup of coffee.

"Wait up, bitch!" he called after one of the most well-respected workers in the business. The best part of the relationship between Ryleigh and Justin was that they had been best friends for the past fifteen years. When she made it big, her first order of business was to bring her best friend along for the ride.

"Do I look okay?" she nervously asked, though excitement still coated her words, as she turned to face him. She readjusted her top slightly, which was revealing a decent amount of her ample cleavage.

"You look fucking hot, babe," he replied with a smirk and a wink.

"You sure?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Good point. You're usually extra harsh with the brutal honesty," she rationalized. Ryleigh took a deep breath, trying to calm her excitement, though it wasn't quite possible to do so. "Okay. Let's do this thing." She opened the door and let Justin in, seeing as his hands were currently full. She followed behind him, as they made their way over to security and signed in, receiving their passes that allowed them full access to the backstage area. No sooner had they walked past the security area, the two were almost immediately greeted by the one and only Vince McMahon.

"Ms. Denning! It's such a pleasure to finally meet you!" he greeted, offering out his hand to her. Ryleigh smiled and shook it.

"It's such an honor to meet you, Mr. McMahon. And please, call me Ryleigh," she sweetly spoke.

"Well, Ryleigh, please call me Vince."

"Okay, Vince. This is Justin. He's my PA," she introduced. Justin somehow managed to shake Vince's hand.

"Everyone's really been looking forward to having you here tonight," he spoke, leading them down a fairly long hallway. "You have your own personal dressing room. In there, you'll find a copy of the script for tonight's show. It really just outlines the storyline that you'll be involved in. I've heard that you're a fan of the company, so I'm sure you've heard of the Nexus, correct?"

"Of course I have. I have my own Nexus shirt back at home," she admitted with a sheepish grin on her flawless face.

"Well, then, that's good to hear. You're gonna be involved in that storyline for the evening," he informed her.

"Seriously? Wow. That's amazing. Thank you so much. This is so…wow. Such an honor."

"Well, we're so excited that you're here, that I made sure the Creative department put you in the storyline. It's our major storyline, so why not involve our major guest star? Besides, I know I can trust you with acting, I've seen your films."

"Thank you."

He opened the door to the lavishly decorated dressing room. "This is going to be your room. This is the hallway where all of the Superstars and Divas locker rooms are located, so there may be some visitors stopping by to say hello. There will be people form the crew back here to go over some things with you for tonight," he told her.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Vince."

"Of course. If all goes well, hopefully you'll have a lot of fun and want to come back. Maybe you'll make yourself a familiar face around these parts," he said, giving her a hopeful smile.

"I would love that," she said, her eyes widening at the thought.

Vince gave her a smile. "Well, I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything, my office is directly across the hallway. And once again, thank you so much for coming here and doing the show," he graciously spoke to her.

"Oh trust me. It's all my pleasure. "

"We're really happy to have you here."

"It's an honor for us to be here."

Vince gave her a final smile, before retreating to his office, leaving Ryleigh and Justin in her designated dressing room.

"Wow. I can't believe that I'm really here. I feel like I should pinch myself or something," she dreamily spoke.

Justin didn't hesitate to take the opportunity and pinch her. "Ouch!" she yelped, before turning around and slapping him.

"You wanted to pinch yourself. I figured I'd save you the energy and just do it myself," he rationalized. "I am your personal assistant. I'm just trying to make your life easier," he said with a shit-eating grin.

"You're such a bastard."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Well, I guess I should take a look at the script and see exactly what I'm supposed to be doing tonight, huh?"

"Probably a good idea," he agreed with her.

Ryleigh sat back on the black leather couch and reached out for the script on the table, snatching it up into her hands and opening it, reading through her parts. She was becoming extraordinarily more excited with each passing moment. She had some really good ideas as to how to approach the scenes with the WWE Superstars.

* * *

Stu Bennett was sitting in the Nexus locker room with his group mates. He wasn't particularly confident that working with the guest star for the evening was going to prove a smart move for the storyline, but he wasn't asked his opinion on the matter, and he was known for doing what he was told to do when it came down to business. He hadn't seen any of Ryleigh Denning's movies. Everyone was really focused on the fact that she was some really hot supermodel. He'd seen pictures. It was nearly impossible to not know who she was. Though he didn't know very much about her, he did know she was absolutely beautiful. But truth be told, with a whole bunch of make up caked on their faces, most supermodels were beautiful…just fake. He was sure that he would be proven right the moment he got a good look at the celebrity that evening. Regardless, Stu wasn't exactly sure a pretty face was all that was needed to get her thought the episode, though he was confident that she was really only relying on her looks alone. He was just skeptical. He had no animosity towards the woman. He'd never met her before, so he had no reason to have any problems with her.

"Hey Stu, did you see the script for tonight?" Paul Lloyd Jr., called PJ by his friends and Justin Gabriel by his fans, asked.

"Yeah…we're involved with that Ryleigh Denning broad, aren't we?" his deep, accented voice replied.

"We are," Heath Miller AKA Heath Slater replied. "I heard that she's a really big WWE fan."

"Yeah, I heard that, too," Tyrone Evans, better known as Michael Tarver, agreed with the redhead.

"Ryleigh's actually friends with Jen. I've only met her a couple of times, but Jen loves her," David told them. "She's really sweet."

"I should probably take a trip to her dressing room and find out how she wants to work everything out, huh?" Stu asked.

"Probably," Ryan Reeves, who went under the name Skip Sheffield on-screen, replied to the leader of the Nexus.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. David got up and opened it, revealing the guest star herself, Ryleigh Denning.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Ryleigh!" David greeted. "It's so nice to see you again!"

Ryleigh hugged him. "David! It's nice to see a familiar face around here. I haven't seen you in forever. How are you? How's Jenny? How's my favorite little boy?" she quickly piled on the questions.

"Good, good. Everyone's good. Jen misses you. She was so jealous when I told her that you were gonna be here tonight."

"Aw. I miss her so much. I haven't spoken to her since…wow last week. I've been running around like a crazy person between press conferences, photo shoots and stuff," she explained.

"She knows you're busy, Miss Popular. But we definitely need to get together soon. Anyway, I should probably introduce you to the guys. There's-"

"Dave. You should know me better than that," she cut him off with a smile. "I know who everyone is."

"Well, you know everyone's on-screen names."

"I'm obsessed with this. I know everyone's real names, too," she pointed out with a smirk.

"Wow. Well, then, excuse me," David laughed.

Stu felt his chest tighten up, as Ryleigh made her rounds, introducing herself to the other guys. As it turned out, he was slated to be last in line to meet her. But he felt his chest tighten and got a bit lightheaded for the first few minutes she was in the room. When they momentarily locked eyes, he saw everything moving in slow motion. He didn't expect himself to be so attracted to her, but the woman in front of him was quickly blowing his mind in the best possible way.

"And last but certainly not least, you must be Stu, right?"

"Yes, and you're Ryleigh."

"I certainly am," she replied with a smile. "It's such an honor to meet you. I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of star struck right now," she admitted.

"Oh really?" he asked, a smile forming on his face.

"Yeah. I'm a huge fan."

"Of me?" Stu asked her, confused.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm a Nexus fan and all, but I'm a huge Wade Barrett fan, as well," she told him.

"Oh wow. That's so flattering."

Ryleigh blushed. "I'm like a little kid in a candy store, here. I'm so sorry. It's completely unprofessional of me to be acting like such an idiot," she apologized. "I just can't seem to help it."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's so nice to hear that a world renowned supermodel and actress is so excited to meet me…well, us," Stu said, using every ounce of self control to act like he wasn't swooning over her, mentally.

"Yeah. Trust me, my friends back home are all so jealous that I'm working with you tonight," Heath agreed.

Ryleigh smiled. "I'm really not that big…"

"Are you kidding me? Didn't you date Leonardo DiCaprio?" Heath asked her. He liked to read the gossip magazines every now and again.

"Well, only for a few months," she replied.

"Wait a second. You dated Leo DiCaprio?" PJ asked.

"Yeah…" she shyly replied.

"Wow."

"That's a big deal, you know. You're dating Leo D!" Heath cried.

"Dated," she said, emphasizing the past tense. "We broke up. We're not together anymore. I mean, we still talk once in a while, but we're not dating each other or anything like that."

"Okay, well, still. He only dates the world's most beautiful women, and clearly, you're on the top of that prestigious list, so you do the math. Quite frankly, I'm the one who's star struck," PJ spoke.

"That's really sweet, PJ," she graciously replied.

"Yeah, well, we were all very excited to hear that we were gonna be working with you," Tyrone told her. "You seem like a really cool chick."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to me. You don't understand how much of a fan I am. I mean, I've had my schedule cleared on Monday and Friday nights, and trust me, I make sure I watch every Pay Per View. It's my main priority," she explained.

"That's so awesome. I'm gonna tell everyone that Ryleigh Denning is a fan of mine. Everyone's gonna hate me," Heath spoke with a proud smile.

She laughed. "You're so funny."

"I guess we should start talking about what to do tonight," Stu spoke up, ever the group leader.

"Yeah. That's actually why I came here," Ryleigh said. "Of course, I got a little distracted…"

"Well, then, let's figure this out," he said with a warm smile. She felt the brief fluttering of butterflies in her stomach as their eyes temporarily locked. She was feeling her celebrity crush translate quite well into real life.

* * *

Ryleigh was more nervous than ever as she eagerly watched the clock, waiting for Raw to begin, though she still had a little over an hour before anything happened. After making the necessary plans for the evening with the Nexus guys, along with John Cena and Randy Orton who ended up joining the group, seeing as they, too, were also major players in the Nexus on-screen drama, she had returned to her dressing room. Her hair and make up had been done, and she had received quite a number of visits from the Superstars and Divas. She had gotten along really well with everyone, especially the Nexus guys. She was so excited to have been able to meet everyone. They were treating her like the celebrity she was, though around all of them, she felt like the fan.

"You're so fidgety. You're making me nervous," Justin told her.

"I'm nervous."

"Ryleigh! Get a grip, you psycho! You've worked with famous legends, like Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese, and let's be fair, you're personal, close friends with Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj. You definitely don't need to be so nervous about being on Monday Night Raw. You're insane, you hot mess, you." He wasn't a wrestling fan, but he knew what was going on because Ryleigh made him watch it constantly. He'd also never seen her act so excited to be meeting so many people before.

"Don't be such a bitch, Justy!"

He winked at her and blew her a kiss. "I love you, you little minx."

"Love you, muffin."

"You're so funny."

"No, I'm not," she whined.

"Yes. You're crazy."

She pouted. "But I love you."

"Are you excited for New York tomorrow?"

"So excited."

"Me, too," he agreed. "So, any crushes on any of these big juicy pieces of man meat?" he asked, widening his eyes, desperate for the gossip from his best friend.

She shrugged. "I have my own man."

Justin rolled his yes. "Oh forget about that douche. These guys are really hot, and they seem sweet, too."

"George is hot…"

"Yeah, but he's a dick."

"No, he isn't."

"Bullshit. Now, let's not talk about your stupid bastard of a boyfriend. Let's talk about these guys. Who do you like?"

Ryleigh grinned. "Ugh. Fine. You know me too well for my own good. I have a little crush on Stu."

"That's the British guy you pointed out, right?"

"Yup."

"Oooh. Very yummy."

She smiled. "Yeah, but like I said…"

"I love Georgie Porgie, even if he is a dumb prick who treats me like shit and thinks he's a God among men because he's banging the hottest woman on earth, and he's in Hollywood Undead," he mocked her, following his words with a retching and pretending to vomit all over the room.

"He isn't a prick…"

"He told you that you were stupid for coming here to do this show, which you've been looking forward to doing since you heard about the call from Vince McMahon. Don't make excuses for him."

"He's just not into wrestling."

"And you're not into wearing masks while you do your thing. So, there's not reason for him to knock what you enjoy. I don't particularly care for wrestling, but you don't see me being a dick about it. I encourage you to do what makes you happy."

"Yeah, I know…"

Justin rolled his eyes. "Listen, if that Stu guy was into men, I'd be all over that without thinking twice. I don't care who my boyfriend is, was or ever will be. So, go show him your boobies and play a little game called 'Find the G Spot'," he encouraged her.

Ryleigh laughed. "That's definitely not happening."

"Ugh. You're no fun at all."

"Because I'm not gonna go around screwing strangers just because they're really good looking?"

"Exactly."

"Come on. Stop being such a bitch to me. I have to get ready to go out there soon," she said nudging him with her shoulder.

"Your hair and make up are already done. You came dressed in the outfit that you wanted to wear. I don't see what you're rushing around for."

"I was gonna go visit the Nexus guys…"

"Oh! Oh," he gave her a devious smirk and a nudge to the elbow. "Well, then, by all means, be my guest."

Ryleigh laughed. "I'll see you soon, babe."

"Have fun." The longtime best friends hugged and exchanged kisses on their cheeks, before Ryleigh left the dressing room and made her way down the hall to the Nexus room. She quickly knocked on the door. Within moments, it opened and Ryleigh was looking directly at Stu Bennett.

"Ryleigh. Hi," he greeted.

"Hi Stu. I just wanted to stop by and see what you guys were up to. Justin had some phone calls to take care of, and I was bored."

"Oh. Well, the others just went to catering to grab some food and eat before the show starts."

"Aw. So, they left you all alone?"

"Yup. You can come in, though, and hang out with me, if you'd like to," he invited her. She acquiesced. Stu, then, closed the door behind her. The two sat on the couch next to each other.

"So, are you excited about the show tonight?" she asked him.

Stu smiled. "Yeah. I love it. This is my favorite thing to do in the entire world."

"Well, you're very talented."

He gave her a smile. "Thanks. That's very sweet of you to say. I'm really sorry, I haven't seen any of your films, but I hear really great things. I have seen some of your catalogue covers, though. And trust me, you're very talented, too," he told her, before quickly turning a shade of crimson, upon the realization of what he said.

Ryleigh laughed. "That's not exactly talent. I'm standing there. You're in the ring…" she pointed out.

"Well, you make it look very easy, and I know I think that photo shoots suck and are terribly boring. So, I give you a lot of credit to do it all of the time."

"Thanks."

He smiled. "So, you've been watching Raw?" he asked.

"Yeah. I know everything that's been going on. I have a bit of an obsession, really," she told him.

Stu laughed. "Well, at least you get to be a part of it now. It's a lot of fun to do the shows."

"I love watching, so I'm sure that I'll love being on it."

"It's definitely a really unique experience. Everyone's either loving you or hating you, but they're reacting to you, and it's so incredible to be able to have people who feel so strongly about your character," he explained.

Ryleigh smiled. "I've always wanted to be a wrestler."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I'm actually friends with Mark LoMonaco and Devon Hughes, who were the Dudley Boys and Team 3D in TNA. And they have their own wrestling school, which I've gone to. Not consistently or anything, but every time I'm in the area, and they're around, I go, and they show me some moves. It's a lot of fun."

"That's pretty great. Do you think you'd ever want to give up modeling and acting to become a wrestler?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I've become pretty comfortable with the life I have now, but I'd never exactly rule it out or anything."

"Too bad we're not getting you in the ring tonight for anything other than you ganging up with Randy against us."

She smirked. "You know I almost wish that they were putting me on your side tonight, but I mean, that wouldn't make sense, unless I was actually going to be a member of the group or something."

"Yeah. Maybe in the future that can change."

"Maybe. I certainly wouldn't mind that."

"Me either." He turned red, wanting the floor to swallow him up. The last thing he should be doing is hitting on the guest star. But at the same time, he couldn't really help himself. Stu was finding himself to be extremely attracted to the woman seated next to him. Quite frankly, he hoped that she'd be back, and the show hadn't even aired yet.

* * *

**Raw**

**After the Nexus had opened the show, by insulting nearly every member of the WWE Universe, the Superstars and anyone else they could, they were welcomed with the Lady Gaga B-Side track "Vanity" playing through the arena, as the guest star of the evening, Ryleigh Denning walked out to the screaming crowd. She was slapping the hands of fans, as she walked down the ramp, making her way to the ring. She made her way up the stairs, and Wade Barrett walked over, holding the ropes open for her to walk into the middle of the ring. She ducked underneath the top rope and made her way into the center of the it, nodding a 'thank you' to the Nexus leader, while the guys all gave her flirty smiles. They were unaware of how short-lived their smiles would be.**

**Ryleigh immediately walked over to the clearly unhappy John Cena and gave him a hug, confusing the rest of the members. "Excuse me, young lady, what exactly can we help you with?" Wade asked.**

**She smiled and turned to face him. "Well, Wade, it's come to my attention that I'm the guest star tonight, and I think for one night, maybe you should stop being such a buzz kill. You know, you seem like you could be a sweet guy, but you're always such a downer. You're nasty to John. You boss everyone around. You act like you're the king of the castle. I think you need to pull the stick out of your rear end and calm it down a little bit."**

**"Excuse me? And who do you think you are?"**

**"Well, that was actually my question to you because you're obviously not the champ. Randy Orton is…" she pointed out.**

**He narrowed his eyes at her. "Get out of my ring, right now," he commanded, pointing to the direction in which he wanted her to make her exit.**

**"Mmm…not gonna happen," she refused with a shake of her head. "You see, I have some friends here, and I figured I'd pay them a visit, but after listening to you drone on and on about how John Cena isn't a faithful member of your little band of thugs and how you're gonna take the championship from Randy, it's just…enough is enough already. Everyone's sick and tired of listening to your whining and complaining. John isn't a faithful member because he hates you and you're little butt buddies. You weren't able to beat Randy for the title. Clearly, you're all talk," she spoke.**

**Wade walked right up to her, as the other members, aside from John, formed a threatening circle around her. "You know for someone as new to this ring as you are, I'd really watch what I say. You don't want to make the wrong person…or people angry, you know," he warned her.**

**"Wow. You're really intimidating," she replied with zero enthusiasm, mocking him. "You won't like him when he's angry. Ooooh. Terrifying. Actually, I think my friend Ed Norton played that part…you know…The Hulk? He was much better at it, though," she shot back. The crowd laughed at the insults she was flinging at Wade, as was John. He took a step closer to her, trying to frighten her, which was clearly not working.**

**"Listen, little girl, you-"**

**"Little girl? I'm not that young, pal, and I've sure as hell accomplished a lot more than you and The Pink Ladies combined," she quipped.**

**"You better watch what you say…"**

**"I think you better watch what you say, actually," she reciprocated the warning. "Because I know some people in some high places."**

**"Oh yeah? Like who?"**

**"There's a good friend of mine here tonight."**

**"Your friend?"**

**"Yes. My friend. Oh…um…well, okay. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Sometimes when two people get along really well and hang out once in a while, having common interests, they form a bond which translates into a relationship, in which they can rely on each other and talk to each other and-"**

**"I know what a friend is," he snapped at her. "Who's this little friend that you think you can use to intimidate me?" Wade inquired.**

**Ryleigh smirked. "Oh! I thought you'd never ask. Oh friend…." she called in a sing song voice.**

**"I hear voices in my head. They council me. They understand. They talk to me" were the next words that blared through the speakers, as the WWE's own Apex Predator and the WWE Champion, Randy Orton, made his entrance. He did his entrance bit and gave Ryleigh a hug, before his music stopped playing, and he got in Wade's face, bringing his microphone up to his mouth.**

**"Wade, you know, you better watch who you start trouble with," he warned. "Because you never know who's learned to give someone an RKO."**

**Once the words left his lips, Ryleigh immediately RKO'ed Justin Gabriel, leaving him down and out, as everyone else went after the guest star, causing Randy and John to interfere, to protect her. The lights blinked and the crowd was alerted of an e-mail from the anonymous Raw General Manager.**

**"Can I have your attention please? I have just received an e-mail from the anonymous General Manager," Michael Cole spoke, as he got up from his chair at the commentary table. Everyone turned to find out what he was about to say. "And I quote, 'The Nexus better take a few steps away from the guest star of the evening because she is the one who will be playing host tonight. I have spoken to her and allow our guest, Miss Ryleigh Denning to be the one to call the matches this evening, as well as the stipulations. Don't put yourself in a position that you can't afford to be in, Wade.' "**

**A smirk was on the face of the evening's newly announced host. "Well, boys, this ought to be fun now, don't you think?" she spoke, raising an eyebrow at the members of Nexus, aside from Justin who was still successful laid out.**

* * *

"You really nailed that RKO. That was really impressive," Randy complimented the supermodel, as everyone was waiting around backstage for their cue to make their way back out to the ring.

"Thanks," she replied. "It was amazing being out there. You really feed off of the crowd's energy."

"And the show is sold out," Vince said walking over. "Which isn't exactly something that's been happening very often. You were great out there, Ryleigh. The crowd really seems to love you."

"I try," she said with a smile. Stu just watched her. He couldn't believe that he had a crush on her from the moment they met. She also had a bit of a crush on him, though she couldn't do much about it considering she was still in a relationship.

* * *

**Raw**

**Ryleigh was backstage in her dressing room, when there was a knock at her door. She turned around and answered it, coming face to face with Santino Marella.**

**"Santino, hi," she greeted.**

**"Hello Miss Ryder."**

**She gave him a confused look but shrugged it off, seeing as Santino messed up almost everyone's name. "How are you?"**

**"Good. I was thinking that maybe I could get into some actions tonight," he told her, giving her a shy smile.**

**"Oh really? Well, if you'd like I could go ahead and set up a match for you," Ryleigh replied.**

**"Great. Thanks. You know most people would show you misrespect because you're not so smart person because you're a dumb model, but I like you, Ryder."**

**"A dumb model?"**

**"Well, yes. But you're smarts. And…I was thinking, if you'd maybe ever like to go out to date, well, maybe I would say okay."**

**"That's very flattering, but I-" Sheamus stepped up behind Santino. "Oh, hi Sheamus," she greeted him. Upon hearing that it was Sheamus behind his, Santino tensed up, knowing of the problems they'd been recently having.**

**"Listen, I want a match tonight. I don't care against who, but since you're the lass in charge here, you better arrange that."**

**"Okay. Well, Santino here was just asking about a match. So, what if the two of you just get in the ring."**

**Santino laughed sheepishly and shook his head. "Oh. No. No. No. No. I…I don't think…"**

**"Why wouldn't you want a match against Sheamus?"**

**"Well, he has a little anger to me because he has no skin pigmentation, and I do. It's not a safe bet for me."**

**Ryleigh smirked. "Oh nonsense. Santino, Sheamus, your match is next," she said, as the Irish-born Sheamus wrapped an arm around Santino's shoulders and pulled him out of her dressing room.**

* * *

**Raw**

**Backstage, Ryleigh was in Randy Orton's locker room. "I could give you Wade Barrett with his hands tied behind his back, if you want," she suggested with a devious smirk that almost mirrored the Viper's own. "The GM put me in charge. You name it, and I can make it happy, Randy."**

**"I can beat Wade Barrett in a fair fight. I have no doubts about that. Just give him to me, and I can take care of it."**

**"Okay…fairly, though? How about Nexus is banned from ringside, and if anyone interferes, Wade loses any and all possibilities for a championship match against you at Survivor Series?" she suggested.**

**"That sounds fair."**

**"Good. Then, I'll make sure I announce that for the main event tonight."**

**"You're the best. Thanks, Ry."**

**"Of course. They've gotten away with far too much since this whole Nexus nonsense began. There's no way I'm gonna let them get away with their shenanigans tonight. In fact, I'm gonna make sure I'm ringside tonight, so that I can make sure it's all running smoothly," she decided.**

**"What can I say? I'm lucky that I've got a friend like you on my side."**

**She smiled. "I do what I can Randy. Let me go out now and announce the main event after the next match."**

* * *

**Raw**

**As Lady Gaga's "Vanity" played through the arena, the crowd went crazy for the guest star turned guest host. Ryleigh walked out to the ring, microphone in hand, smile on her face. She quickly got into the ring.**

**"Hey WWE Universe! I'm here to announce your main event for the evening. I've spoken with my friend Randy Orton and allowed him to have a little bit of input into the decision." This caused the crowd to cheer. "Thanks," she said. "So, your main event tonight will be Wade Barrett versus Randy Orton. And the locker room will be banned from ringside. If anyone interferes on behalf of the Nexus, Wade Barrett will lose any and every opportunity to face Randy Orton at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship," she announced, immediately receiving the crowd's approval. She smiled at the cheering crowd.**

**"We Are One" by 12 Stones began playing, as Wade Barrett, followed by the rest of the Nexus came out. The group's leader looked absolutely pissed off. He signaled the rest of the group to stay back, while he made his way down the ramp and to the ring, ready to confront Ryleigh. He climbed into the ring and approached the evening's guest host. "Are you demented or something?" he asked her.**

**"Aw. Is little Wade upset that he's being beaten at his own game for the first time ever?" she asked with a mocking pout.**

**"Don't patronize me. Just who the hell do you believe that you are?"**

**"I think I'm the first person in this company who has you truly beaten at your own game," she replied with a smirk.**

**"You don't have me beat."**

**"Oh really? Because you seem to be pretty upset right about now. You know you can't win this match fairly because you never win fairly. You screwed Cena and made him a part of your little band of idiots. You think you can screw Orton over, too, but you've got another thing coming because I won't let that happen on my watch. You're not taking over, pal. As far a I'm concerned, you're nothing but a little greedy child who wants his cake and wants to eat it, too. But tonight, this is my playground, and I'm the last person who you want to start with." He got in her face. She stood right up to him, without even flinching. "What are you gonna do, Wade? Be a man and accept your fate? Or are you gonna try to bully me? I recommend that you make the smart decision here."**

**He glared at her before speaking. "You're not that pretty, sweetheart. You don't tell me what to do."**

**The lights flickered and the crowd was alerted of an e-mail from Raw's anonymous General Manager. Michael Cole got up and walked over to the laptop podium and opened the laptop.**

**"And I quote, 'Wade Barrett, you will back away from Ryleigh Denning right now, unless you want to have a suspension lingering over your head. She is the guest tonight, and you will treat her with the utmost respect. She's received direct orders from me to host and take care of business. You will respect and abide by any and all decisions that she makes, without question,'" Cole read aloud.**

**Ryleigh shot a smirk in his direction. "Okay, then. Bye bye, now," she mocked, waving him off. Wade looked furious, as he reluctantly made his way out of the ring and back up the ramp.**

* * *

"You're really great out there. You've got the crowd wrapped around your pinkie, and you really fit in so well," Stu said, as he and Ryleigh had finally made it backstage, after their confrontation in the ring.

Ryleigh smiled. "Thanks, Stu. I really appreciate that. Sorry I'm such a bitch to you out there."

"Well, I'm not exactly a gentleman in the ring, either," he replied with a grin. "So, there's no need to apologize to me. I was thinking that maybe after the taping tonight, a bunch of us guys are going out to celebrate. Maybe if you're not going anywhere, you'd like to join us," he invited.

"I have a flight in the morning to New York, but I'm staying in the Hilton Hotel over here, so yeah. That could be fun."

Stu smiled. "That's great. I'll make sure you have a fun night."

"I don't doubt that."

"Alright, well, I have to get ready for my match. Um…I can come by your dressing room after the show ends, if you'd like?"

"Sure. That sounds great. I have my suitcases here, so I'll change before we leave," she said.

"Okay. I'm gonna run to the locker room for a bit and get all situated. I'll see you out there, okay?"

"Alright…good luck tonight. I mean, I know the outcome but still," she said with a genuine smile.

"Thanks. I'd wish you luck, but you seem to be doing quite well without my well wishes," he replied giving her a semi-flirty smile, as he backed away from her, before turning down the hallway.

Ryleigh sighed. She was crushing on him, big time. "Someone has a crush," Justin's voice teased in her ear from behind. Having had no idea that he was behind her, she jumped, as he completely scared her.

"You asshole," she scolded, slapping him on the arm, as she faced him.

He laughed. "So, you've got yourself a little date tonight, huh?"

"No. We're just hanging out…in a group of people. It's not like a date or anything, Justin," she insisted. "You know I have a boyfriend, and you know that I sure as hell won't cheat on him."

"I can only hope something happens tonight," Justin dreamily spoke. It was no secret that he did not like Ryleigh's boyfriend, George Ragan, also known as Johnny 3 Tears from Hollywood Undead. Ryleigh and Justin were huge fans of the group, which was how that whole pairing started out, but he'd been pretty controlling and mean to her in the past couple of months of their year and a half long relationship.

Justin liked Stu. He could easily tell that the Nexus leader had somewhat of a crush on Ryleigh. His new mission in life was to make that happen, and with his charm and power of persuasion, he was almost certain he could take care of that. In fact, he would take care of that…after the show.


	2. Chapter 2

**The World Has It Shine**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, except for Ryleigh and Justin.**

* * *

**A/N: Well, I've gotten a positive response so far, which I greatly appreciate. I've been working hard on this one, and I can promise that there's a lot of fun in store! Hope you enjoy! Let me know! XoXoXo Love you guys!**

* * *

**Raw**

**Ryleigh was hanging out at the announce table with both Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler, watching the main event match of the night between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett.**

**"So Ryleigh, you having fun as the host tonight?" Michael asked her. He'd barely paid attention to the match. He'd been focusing his attention on the superstar sitting next to Jerry Lawler.**

**"I am. I'm so excited to be here. I've been a huge WWE fan since I was a kid, so being here is like a dream come true," she replied.**

**"You should come back again. We like having you around here," he told her, giving her a flirty smile.**

**"That's very sweet. I'd love to come back," she replied, her voice and smile both polite, without the slightest hint of flirtiness.**

**Jerry laughed. "Cole, stop hitting on our guest star. She's a supermodel and an actress. She's got no interest in you. In fact, the last person she would ever be interested in is you," he shot at him.**

**"Watch it, King," Michael retorted. "I'm quite a catch, whether or not people realize it. I'm a good guy. You know that, right, Ryleigh?"**

**"I'm sure you are. Does your wife think so, too?"**

**"Ouch. She got you there," Jerry replied, laughing at the comment Ryleigh directed at him.**

**"Actually King, I did want to say that I am a huge fan of yours," she said, giving him a smile.**

**"Why thank you, Ms. Denning."**

**"Of course."**

**"Oh now who's flirting with who?" Michael shot back.**

**"He wasn't flirting with me. He thanked me. Cole, are you a little jealous?" she asked with a grin.**

**"I'm not jealous of him," he scoffed with a scowl on his face. "Never. Not him. He's old and uninteresting. I would never be jealous of him. I would be jealous of Santino before I would be jealous of this one."**

**Ryleigh laughed at how defensive he became. "Okay. I get it. Not jealous. Not at all," she replied, patronizingly.**

**"Now, listen-"**

**Ryleigh quickly cut him off, as she focused her attention back on the match in front of them. "Wow. Look at the way Randy is manhandling Wade in that ring. Very impressive," she commented, as Randy nailed the scoop slam before he threw his body on the ring canvas and began punching it, ready to finish the match.**

**"That's vintage Orton right there!" Cole announced.**

**"You are aware that you say that every time anyone does any of their signature moves, right?" she asked. In the ring, Wade had just managed to duck out of the RKO by mere seconds, giving him the upper hand, as the Viper did not expect for him to do that and was caught off guard.**

**"Well, it is a vintage move…"**

**"Whatever you say." Ryleigh smirked, as Wade had picked Randy up in the Fireman's Carry position, ready to finish his opponent off with Wasteland. Luckily, Randy shook out of his grasp, managing to immediately nail the RKO on Wade Barrett. The slightly taller man was knocked out cold in the center of the ring, as Randy got the pin, the three count and ultimately the win.**

**Ryleigh immediately jumped up, pulling her headset off, putting it down on the table and climbing into the ring. She, along with the referee, who had just returned Randy's Championship belt to him, lifted Randy's arm up in victory. He gave her a hug, and he climbed up to the top rope, holding his belt, as the crowd cheered deafeningly loud for their favorite of the two men in the ring. Ryleigh climbed out, in between the ropes and down the steel steps, opting to make he way over to the barricades, slapping the hands of the fans, as Raw ended. Everyone made their way backstage.**

* * *

"Ryleigh, you're a real natural out there. You were so great. It was a real pleasure having you on commentary tonight," Jerry Lawler complimented her. Ryleigh was so happy to have had the experience.

"Thank you. I'm such a huge fan. It means so much to me to hear that from a legend like yourself," she graciously accepted the compliment.

"Well, I'm a fan of your work. You were amazing in that Scorsese movie…'Bundy'. That movie was insane. What was that like?"

"It was surreal and absolutely incredible. Marty is such a great person and an incredible director, and the cast was just amazing. I just felt so lucky to be able to be a part of that experience."

"That's great. Well, anytime you want to come by, you're more than welcome," he said, giving her a hug, which she reciprocated.

"Thank you so much. I may have to take you up on that," she said, as the two pulled apart.

"Ryleigh, you were amazing out there!" Vince called, as he walked towards his guest. He wrapped her in a huge hug.

"Oh thank you so much, Vince. I had so much fun tonight," she said, as they pulled back from the hug.

"Any time you want to come back, you're more than welcome. You were just phenomenal."

She smiled graciously. "Everyone here has been so great to me. I feel like family already. It's incredible."

"Ryleigh…" Stu began, as he approached her.

"Hey Stu. You were great out there."

"Thanks. So were you. Um…are you still coming out with us this evening?" he asked her.

"Definitely. I'm just gonna change in the dressing room."

"Okay. Great. I'll see you in a little while, then," he said, smiling as he walked away. Vince and Jerry exchanged looked, noticing what seemed like a little bit of sexual tension between the two.

"Alright. Well, I'm gonna go get changed," she said. "And seriously, I had so much fun. I'd love to come back…soon."

"Wonderful."

* * *

Stu was extremely nervous. He knew this outing wasn't a date or anything like that, but he still felt that nervous knot in the pit of his stomach. He had a bit of a crush on Ryleigh, and he was really excited that he would be hanging out with her in just a short while. He knew it wouldn't go anywhere. She was way out of his league. That was one thing he was sure of. She was a huge star. The last person she'd be dating was him. Sure, David had managed to be with Jen, and everyone knew that was out of sheer luck, as they so teased him, but that was a rarity. There was no way Ryleigh would be into him.

"Man, you okay? You seem…I dunno…weird," David asked his friend, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Me? No. I'm okay," Stu replied quickly…too quickly, actually.

"That's convincing. Anyway, Ryleigh's coming out with us tonight, right?" he asked, thinking that he was changing the subject.

"Ryleigh? I don't know. Maybe. I mean, why would I know that? I'm not her keeper or anything," he defensively replied.

David gave him a look, raising his eyebrows at Stu. "Okay, man," he replied, speaking slowly.

"Is everyone ready to go?"

"PJ, Tyrone, Ryan and Heath are good to go."

"Alright. I'm gonna go run to Ryleigh's dressing room and get her," he said, giving his friend a nod.

"Oh? But I thought you didn't know if she was coming out," David caught him in his little lie.

"What? Oh…I um…I asked her…earlier, and…I…"

"Do you have a crush on her?" he asked, a smirk forming across his face, as he figured out the reason for Stu's strange behavior.

"No. I do not," he once again replied too quickly to be believable.

"I think that you do. And there's nothing wrong with that, man. She's a beautiful woman and a complete sweetheart," he tried to relax his currently high strung friend. But Stu was just denying, denying, denying.

"I don't even know her. Besides, I'm sure she probably has a boyfriend, so it wouldn't matter anyway."

"I can find out from Jen…"

"No. Don't do that."

"I won't even mention you."

"Are you sure?" Stu asked, skeptically.

"Yeah. Positive."

"You know what? Don't even ask. I don't wanna know."

"Okay…if you're sure…"

"Yeah. I'm sure. It's fine. I'm just gonna go over there and see if she's ready to go." Stu quickly made his way out of the locker room where David was laughing at how absurd he was acting.

Stu walked down the hallway and knocked on the door to Ryleigh's dressing room. The door was quickly opened by Justin.

"Hi! You must be…Stu, right?"

"Yes. That would be me. And you are…?" His heart sunk a bit. She couldn't be dating this guy. Of all people, he just seemed…too feminine maybe? He couldn't put his finger on it, but he just didn't seem like the kind of guy Ryleigh should be with. But if she was, that would just kill him.

"I'm Justin…her personal assistant…and best friend," he enthusiastically introduced himself, much to Stu's relief.

"It's a pleasure," Stu politely said.

"It certainly is," he reciprocated, smirking at the WWE Superstar.

Ryleigh walked out of the bathroom, dressed and about ready to go. "Oh Stu, hi," she greeted with a smile that could knock him out. He just stared at her, his mouth falling open slightly. She had on a super short denim skirt, paired with a black, low cut halter top, revealing a lot of cleavage. She had on a pair of peep toe sling back pumps. She was looking good, and Stu's eyes were locked on her.

"Oooh. You look so sexy, muffin," Justin gushed, smiling at her.

"Thanks, babe. Are you coming out with us?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her flawless face.

"No…I'm gonna go back to the hotel…"

"No, Justin. Come out. We didn't go out last night, and we were supposed to," she tried bargaining with him. "Please."

He sighed. "No, babe. I'll go back to the hotel. You go out and have a lot fun. I'm sure I can trust Stu to take good care of you. Right?" he asked, turning to the 6'7" man in the doorway.

"Yes, of course," he replied, trying to regain his composure. "And Ryleigh, you look fantastic."

"Aw. Thank you, Stu," she said, directing her smile at him.

He gave her a nod. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just let me grab my bag, and we'll be out the door," she said. Ryleigh grabbed her Coach wristlet off of he coffee table, putting her Blackberry in the small purse. She planted a small kiss on Justin's cheek. "I love you, Just. I'll meet you back at the hotel later tonight, alright?"

"You be good…but not too good, please. And Stu, you're more than welcome and encouraged, actually, to ravage her in a bathroom stall, if you feel like it," he permitted, giving Stu a smile and a wink.

"Justin, watch it," she warned with a glare, before placong a hand on Stu's bicep. "Ready, hun?" she asked, looking up at him. He found himself to be hypnotized by those Hazel eyes.

"I am," he answered dryly, having to force the words to come out.

"Awesome. Bye Justy." She gave him a small wave, as the two left the dressing room, as they headed back to his locker room.

"You looking forward to tonight's outing?" he asked, desperately wanting to act normal and not like his heart was beating overtime.

She smiled at him. "Definitely. We're gonna have so much fun," she replied. Her smile was genuine, and it gave him a slight flutter in his stomach during the moment that their eyes locked.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Everyone arrived at the club, ready to unwind and have a good time. Stu, Dave, Heath, PJ, Tyrone and Ryan managed to shield Ryleigh from the paparazzo's flash bulb attack, as they tried to follow her wherever she went. Luckily, the guys were big enough that they were pretty successful in their attempt. It tended to be mayhem when she was around, in public, and she felt bad that the guys were being subjected to this madness. Once they finally made it inside, though, they could all relax a little bit without being hounded by the incessant questions and flashing lights of the cameras.

The group got a booth on the side of the dance floor. David immediately went to the bar, ordering a round of drinks for everyone. Stu was seated next to the object of his affection. The other guys could easily sense Stu's crush on her. They were trying not to snicker at him, but they were struggling with their self control.

"So, you were really wonderful tonight," Stu spoke.

Ryleigh gave him a smile "Thanks. So were you. Not gonna lie, I kind of wish that you won. I always root for my Nexus men."

"Well, that's good enough for me. I feel like I've won the match," he replied, his voice slightly flirty, unintentionally.

She laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yup."

Heath finally caved. "So, you two lovebirds are adorable," he teased them. Stu instantly glared at him.

Ryleigh laughed it off. "I have drinks for everyone," David said, walking over, with an excited smile, as he brought the beers over to the table. He handed Ryleigh a Bud Light, which she graciously accepted.

"Let's toast for tonight," PJ decided.

"Yes. This is gonna be a good night. We had a really great show. We had a wonderful, beautiful, talented guest star, and we hope that she comes back to hang out with us sooner rather than later," David spoke.

Everyone clinked their beers. Ryleigh took a drink of hers, as did everyone else. Stu leaned his lips in toward her ear.

"Don't listen to Heath," he spoke, his lips nearly grazing her ear, as his breath hit her shoulder, causing a surge to run through her body.

"About what?"

"That lovebird rubbish he was flinging around. He's just trying to be a pain in my arse, as usual."

She laughed. "Don't even worry about it. At least I'm not being teased for being with some unattractive loser."

"Meaning…?"

"At least you're really good-looking and not a loser in the least," she explained herself to him.

"Well, I'm lucky that you're here because he's teasing me about one of the most beautiful women in the world," he said, giving her a genuine smile. She was completely melting with every word he spoke.

"Aw Stu. That was really sweet. I'm really happy that we've managed to become friends here tonight."

"Me, too. You're definitely nothing like the model stereotype."

"I appreciate that because a lot of people do treat me like I'm some brainless bimbo. And I'm definitely not."

"No, you aren't."

"I mean, even with the career I have been overworking myself with, I still managed to graduate from Yale with a 4.0 GPA," she told him.

"What did you study?" he asked, becoming significantly more interested and impressed with her in each passing moment.

"Psychology and Cognitive Science," she replied.

"Wow…"

"Yeah. Let me tell you, double majors are not easy, but when you finally have that diploma in your hands, missing out on the excess partying and downplaying your social life don't seem so bad anymore."

"You're absolutely remarkable," he said.

"Thank you. I wish everyone appreciated my intelligence. Usually, I get the 'stand there and look pretty' mentality thrown in my direction."

"Well, you're beautiful, without a doubt, but you're brilliant and talented. You're a complete and utter sweetheart," he complimented.

"I really like you, Stu. You're such a sweet guy."

"SHOTS!" PJ declared, pointing to the waitress, as she walked over to the table, upon being summoned.

"You want shots over here?" she asked.

"Yes, please. Can we have…oh…um…hm…what should we get?" PJ asked, unsure of what he should order.

"Can we have seven Chocolate Cake shots?" Ryleigh ordered.

"Definitely."

"And do me a favor, please. Can you put everything that anyone who's at this table orders on this card, please?" she asked, handing the young waitress her American Express Black Card.

"Sure," she replied, taking the card and making her way back over to the bar to take care of their order.

"You shouldn't have done that. We can pay for this bill, Ryleigh," Ryan protested her action.

"It really wasn't a big deal," she told him.

"We're supposed to be paying for you. You're the only female here. We're supposed to be taking care of you," Tyrone pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm serious. It's really not a big deal."

"We're the ones who have the ultimate privilege of spending the evening in your company," Stu commented.

"Well, I feel very lucky. I'm a huge fan of you guys, and you made me feel very welcome," she explained to them. "And I really appreciate the fact that you invited me out with you tonight."

"Thank you, Ryleigh. But next time, you're not paying for a thing," Heath said, giving her a smile.

"It's my pleasure."

A chorus of 'thank you's' echoed in Ryleigh's direction. A few moments later, the waitress returned to the table, with all seven shots on a tray, accompanied by seven lemons coated in powdered sugar. Each of the seven occupants of the booth received a shot and a lemon.

"Okay. Do you know how to take it?" she asked. They shook their heads. "Alright. The way you do this is that you down the shot, and then, you don't bite into the lemon, but you just lick the sugar off of it," she explained. "Got it?" The six men nodded. "Ready?" Everyone raised their shots.

"To new friends!" Stu toasted, nodding towards Ryleigh, who was feeling spoiled with the compliments and attention already. The other six people at the table repeated his words, before taking the shot and quickly licking the sugar off of the lemon, as instructed. They all quickly put the shot glasses on the table.

"That was amazing! It tasted just like chocolate cake!" PJ reacted, as he sat back, appreciating the shot he just took.

She grinned. "Oh yes. It's my favorite shot."

"It's mine, too, now," he agreed with her.

* * *

Ryleigh was out on the dance floor with Ryan and Heath, having the time of her life. Everyone was having a great time. The group was collectively intoxicated and getting along wonderfully.

"You have a crush, Stuart, don't you?" PJ teased Stu, standing next to his friend, at the bar.

Stu rolled his eyes. "No. I don't have a crush on her. I don't understand why everyone thinks that," he reacted, though he knew he was lying to his teammate. Stu was well aware that he was crushing hard on Ryleigh.

"Bullshit. You've ignored every chick who has hit on you tonight. Your eyes have been glued to her from the moment we walked in. Hell, they're glued to her every second that you're near her," PJ insisted, smirking.

Ryleigh came up to Stu. She wasn't shit wrecked, but she was still pretty drunk. "Stu! Come on! Come dance with me!" she requested, her hands wrapping around his arm and pulling him.

"I don't really dance," he replied, not moving in the direction, in which she was trying to drag him.

"But you know you want to dance with me," she insisted.

"Ryleigh…"

She smiled up at him. "Please."

PJ smirked watching the scene unfolding right before his very eyes. Stu relented. "Okay," he agreed.

"Yay!" Ryleigh led him out on to the dance floor, as she began dancing against him. Stu awkwardly stood there, watching, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. She began grinding on him and trying to guide him, until he became slightly more comfortable moving around a little bit. His hands were resting on her hips, and all he could think about was how beautiful she was. Ryleigh obliviously moved her body against his, enjoying her night out with her new friends.

The rest of the guys were watching the two dance with each other. They all knew damn well that there was something special going on between them, whether or not they realized it was there.

"Stu has it bad for Ryleigh," Heath said to the guys.

"Oh yeah, and I'm pretty sure that it's mutual," David agreed.

"Absolutely," Ryan backed them up.

Ryleigh placed her hands on his shoulders, as he bent down slightly, so she could speak to him. "You're nothing like I expected," she told him, her voice barely able to be heard over the loud music pumping through the speakers.

"And neither are you," Stu replied.

"You're a good guy and a lot of fun."

"Thanks."

* * *

Seeing as everyone was still pretty drunk, and they were taking cabs back to the hotel, which they were sharing. The guys had pre-planned the cab situation, opting to create a situation where Stu and Ryleigh would have to ride with just each other, hopefully allowing them time to let the sexual tension between them come to a breaking point. As they pulled up to the hotel, Stu paid before Ryleigh even had a chance to pull out her money. The guys, though still bit tipsy, were hiding in the lobby, hoping they'd see something transpire between their on-screen leader and newfound friend.

The popular pair made their way through the entrance and over to the elevators, as they were joking around and generally enjoying each other's company. They were lucky enough to avoid the paparazzi when they left, using a little known back exit, where the club employees had helped by arranging the cabs to come around to that entrance, so they wouldn't have to deal with the burden.

"Oh my God! I can't believe how much fun this was," she said, wrapping her arms around his arm.

"Yeah. Tonight was really great," he agreed, placing his opposite hand over her two hands.

"I have to come back. I love Raw. And I love my new bestest friend," she said with a wide smile.

"I hope you come back. You're the best." The doors opened, and they walked into the empty elevator car. He pushed the number twenty-seven, which coincidentally was the floor they were both staying on.

The guys in the lobby were utterly disappointed to find that the two weren't making out and seemingly ready to have sex.

As the doors closed, Ryleigh leaned her back against the wall of the car. Stu stood in front of her. "Stu, I'm really happy that I was on Raw tonight. And I love Nexus," she told him, with a lazy smile lighting up her features.

"Are you a bit sloshed, Ry?" he asked her with a laugh.

"Me? No way…I don't drink," she blatantly lied with a smirk. "Okay…well, yeah. I'm a little drunk," she changed her reply, this time being honest.

"You're so adorable when you're drunk," he said.

Ryleigh wrapped her arms around Stu's torso affectionately. "You're a lot of fun, you know. You were so tense when we first got into the bar, but once you started dancing with me and having fun and letting loose, you were just…you were my favorite. You are my favorite," she corrected herself, giving him a smile that made his heart beat faster. Stu wrapped his arms around her, as the two locked eyes.

The elevator doors opened, and the two exited onto their floor. Stu wrapped his arm around Ryleigh's shoulders. "I'm happy that we met. I like you. You're a really fun person. And you're a sweetheart. I like you a lot."

"You're the best ever," she told him, snaking her arm around his lower back and resting her hand on his waist.

"Are we still going to speak?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, once you leave here, are we still going to be friends and talking and stuff?" he explained his question.

Ryleigh smiled up at him. "Of course. Where's your phone?"

Stu reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "It's right here," he replied, handing the device to her.

She stopped walking and added her number into his phone, before she handed it back over to him. "Now you've got my number. And I don't give it out that easily, so you should consider yourself very lucky."

"Seeing as I got to spend my night hanging out with you, trust me, I know that I'm very lucky."

Ryleigh blushed slightly. "You're a real sweetheart." She pressed her back to the door of her room. He stood in front of her. "Seriously, let's stay in touch. Please? It would mean a lot to me."

"I promise we will."

Ryleigh leaned in, wrapping her arms around him, hugging him. He reciprocated the gesture, hugging her, as well. Stu kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight," she said softly, as they pulled apart.

"Goodnight," he spoke, as the two exchanged smiled, as she unlocked the door to her room and walked in. Their eyes were locked on each other, as she closed the door, still smiling at each other. Once the door was finally shut, she pressed her back to it, sighing to herself, happy that she had such a great night.

Stu sighed, as well, and made his way back to his room, feeling as if he was walking on cloud nine.

Ryleigh couldn't deny the fact that she was immensely attracted to Stu. He was so sweet, such a gentleman, and completely hot. The goofy smile on her face gave her away. As she made her way to her things, to change for bed, Justin popped up, nearly scaring her half to death. The two always shared hotel rooms. Ryleigh hated being alone, and she loved having Justin around all of the time anyway. Somehow, the two managed to never get on each other's nerves.

"Holy shit!"

He laughed. "Sorry, babycakes. I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized. "I would ask how it went, but judging from that smile it went really, really well. I bet someone got a little p in the va-g."

"What? Oh yeah. We had a lot of fun. The guys are great."

"And Stu? Did you kiss him? Oh my God! Did you really have sex with him? I need details, pronto!" he demanded, getting excited.

Ryleigh laughed at him. "You're so ridiculous. We drank, we danced, we had so much fun, but you know I have a boyfriend. And you also know that I did not cheat on George," she replied.

"But you like Stu. And don't try to deny it to me, lady. I may be very pretty, but I'm not at all stupid. You don't like when people treat you that way, so don't pull that shit with me," he quickly spoke.

She sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. He crossed his legs in front of him, resting his shoulders on his sweatpant-clad knees, his face in his hands, as his bare torso was hunched over a bit.

"I do like him. He's so sweet and hot and charming and fun. But I love George, and nothing is gonna change that."

"Oh horseshit! George is a bastard. Stu is the kind of man you need. Did anything happen, at all?"

"We danced together. We took a cab back together, and he walked me to the room. I put my number in his phone…"

"You whore! You didn't?"

"Yes, I did. I want us to stay in touch. He's such a great guy. I want to be friends with him."

"I want you to be really good friends with him, too. The kind of friends who play hide the salami and make beautiful babies together. I'm getting old. I need to be an uncle already. And I definitely don't want it to be for Satan's children…Satan being George because I hate that fucker."

"He's not that bad. And you're only twenty-three."

"Ugh. Whatever. Your stupid boyfriend doesn't even like me. That's some bullshit, let me tell you. Everyone likes me. I'm very pretty and likable. So, that just makes him an idiot," Justin huffed.

"Maybe he's not a fan because you told that him he looks like the kind of guy who has a really small dick," she pointed out. "Or maybe it's because you walk around, whenever he's around, cupping my boobs, telling everyone that you're just being supportive of your best friend. Or maybe it's because you told everyone that he tried to touch your penis. Hey! Maybe it's because when you first hung out with him, when we started dating, you asked him if he ever blew Jeffree Star," she listed all of the possibilities.

Justin laughed immaturely, slapping his knees and nodding his head enthusiastically. "I did all of those things," he admitted. "And his reaction was so funny. Definitely worth being hated by him."

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm staying with him, regardless of whatever problems we may have."

"We'll see how long that lasts."

"Justin!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" He put his hands up in defense. "I just really want you and Stu to get drunk again, have crazy awesome sex and then, tell me all of the juicy details, over some ice cream and chick flicks," he explained.

"You're something else. You're so lucky I love you because most people would probably have choked you out by now."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm lucky I have my favorite hag in the whole wide world," he said and pulled her in his arms, as he laid back on the bed, with her on top of him. "I love you, little lady."

"I love you, too. Just stop picking on my boyfriend. It's very stressful when the two most important men in my life can't seem to get along."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It'd be easier to pretend to not hate him if I didn't know that Stu existed. I want the two of you together so badly."

"You're so full of shit because you hated him just the same before you knew Stu existed."

"Yeah. That's true. I just love the idea of you and Stu. You two are so cute together," he gushed.

"I get that, babe, but George is my man, and I don't want that to change any time soon," she said.

"You're an idiot sometimes, but I love you anyway."

Ryleigh sat up. "You're a douche. One of these days, I'm gonna get you so drunk that you sleep with a woman, and I'm gonna take pictures and post them all over your Facebook page!"

His mouth formed an 'O', as his eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Wanna bet?"

"No!"

Ryleigh smirked. "That's what I thought, mister. I'm gonna get changed and come back here, and then, we'll cuddle in bed. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. But keep your hands away from my junk. I don't need any falsehoods floating around about me."

She laughed. "Okay," she agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ryleigh and Justin, though technically since the character is exactly like my real life Justin, he owns himself, but I think he would give me ownership anyway, so we should be cool with me owning him. And I definitely don't own George, though, he's really hot and in Hollywood Undead, and I would love to own him.**

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to all my faithful readers :o) Love you guys. Seeing as it is Thanksgiving, I would like to say that I really am thankful for all of you guys because you make every day a little bit brighter for me. I'm always so happy to see how many hits I have, and it always brings a smile to my face when I get reviews. So, I am really thankful to you guys! You're the best readers a girl could ask for, and I love you all very much! XoXoXoXo Happy Turkey Day to all of you! And to your families!**

* * *

Vince McMahon was thoroughly impressed with the information he had just received via e-mail. Since he had received the premature ratings from the past episode of Monday Night Raw, they had almost doubled what they had been, by having Ryleigh Denning on the show. He was expecting a spike in them, sure, but doubling them? He really hadn't expected that. It was unheard of. He was completely surprised that she had such a profound effect on the viewership of the show. Clearly, the supermodel/actress was the sole reason for the increase, seeing as the ratings had been gradually declining for the past couple of months. That meant one thing. He wanted her back…and soon.

In fact, Vince had decided that he wanted her to be a permanent fixture of the company. Not only was she really great out there, in her promos and interactions with the audience, but she attracted the massive crowds. Ryleigh would be the perfect addition to the WWE family. With the already immensely successful career she had without the help of the sports entertainment giant, he doubted that she would be willing to sign a contract with them, but maybe they would be able to work something out between the two of them. The fact of the matter was that Vince really needed Ryleigh. He hated having to admit that he needed someone. But it was undeniable. She would be the one who could create even bigger opportunities for the company, especially with the recent struggle with ratings. He couldn't drop the ball on this one, he would really only be screwing himself and his company over if he did. He had to act on this, and he had to do it quickly.

* * *

Stu had heard that the ratings had been huge for Ryleigh's recent Monday Night Raw appearance. He hoped that meant she would be back soon. It had been two days since Raw had aired. That meant it had been two days since he had last seen her. Hell, it had been two days since he last spoke to her. But it had been only barely two seconds since he had last thought about her. Stu couldn't get her off his mind. He found himself constantly thinking about her. Sure, he hadn't called or texted her, but to be honest, he was kind of afraid to do that. What if she was only trying to be kind to him by saying that she had wanted to remain friends with him? What if she only gave him her number because she was just too nice to tell him that she wasn't interested in him? He certainly didn't want to be that douche bag who was practically stalking a supermodel. So, as much as he really wanted to contact her, he didn't. But it was driving him crazy.

David knew damn well that Stu wanted Ryleigh…badly. And seeing as Jennifer was visiting him at the evening's house show, he figured he would merely mention Stu's obvious crush on his wife's very good friend. Maybe she could put in a good word or two for him. After all, Jennifer always did like Stu, and David knew that Ryleigh would be good for him. Maybe he'd be able to make something happen for the two.

* * *

Ryleigh had a wonderful photo shoot in New York City, before she had flown over to London to promote her upcoming romantic comedy that she had co-starred in with Colin Farrell. The two critically acclaimed actors had become fairly good friends in the short time that they had worked together, though she was one of the very few women in the world that he worked with and wanted but managed to resist his Irish charm. However, her main concern was Stu. It had really disappointed her that she hadn't heard from him since she was on Monday Night Raw. She had really hoped that it wasn't because he didn't have any interest in keeping contact with her.

Opting to keep her newfound (hopefully) friendship with Stu from her boyfriend, Ryleigh knew that she couldn't ask George what he thought about the situation. He tended to be quite the jealous type, and though there was just an innocent friendship blossoming between the two, she was well aware that he wouldn't appreciate the situation. The last thing that she needed was to fight with her boyfriend over it, especially considering the way that the two had been arguing constantly as of late. She couldn't handle yet another confrontation with him. She was way too busy to have to worry about fighting with George over the phone, while she was trying to put her focus on work.

Ryleigh had been with George for the past year. It had been a quite a tumultuous year, too. When things were good between the two of them, they were really good. However, when things were bad, they were absolutely awful. And lately, things had been quite tense between the two lovers. With Ryleigh's hectic, air-tight schedule, they hadn't really been able to see each other much.

With the promotions for her film coming to an end in only two more days, she had been planning to make her way over to Los Angeles and spend some time with him. She believed that it was the stress of being apart was what was causing the brunt of the conflict between them. And she wanted nothing more than to fix their problems. As much as George could make her unhappy and, at times, miserable, she did love him very much and wanted to be with him more than anything. Every couple hit their rough patches, and they were no exception. Ryleigh just hoped that they could make it out of theirs.

Ryleigh was laying in her hotel room. She had two hours before she had to be anywhere, so she had been relaxing a bit. She loved meeting fans and doing interviews. Promotions were so much fun, in her opinion. She was grateful for every opportunity she had been given and was always willing to discuss her career and upcoming projects with anyone and everyone who wanted to interview her. However, it was very stressful on her mental state. She lacked sleep and was pretty stressed with the constant hustle and bustle schedule she'd been on. Having a couple of hours to herself were prime time for her to just rest up. That's when her phone alerted her of an incoming text message. She took her Blackberry off of the nightstand next to her bed and opened the message.

'Hey babe. How are you?' It was Jen.

'Hi love. I'm good. In London. How are you? How's the boy?' she sent in reply. Ryleigh and Jen had met while they were working and had quickly become really good friends. The two tried to get together whenever they could and spoke as often as possible. They had a lot in common.

'I'm good. He's good. Getting really big. So, I heard you and Stu really hit it off the other night.'

Ryleigh laughed to herself and scrolled through her contacts, opting to call one of her closest friends.

Jen picked up on the second ring. "Hi Ry!" she enthusiastically greeted.

"Hey Jen. You're very cute. You know that?"

"Aw thanks. What'd I do?"

"Your little comment about Stu?"

"What? That's what Dave told me," she defended herself.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. He told me that the two of you seemed to like each other quite a bit," she explained.

"Well, he's a really sweet guy, but you know that I'm with George. And even though we've been having more than our fair share of problems lately, I still want to be with him and only him."

"Yeah. Yeah. So, do you think that he's cute?"

Ryleigh laughed at how Jen brushed her off. "Oh God. Did you hear anything that I just said?"

"Yeah. Anyway, more importantly, back to my question, do you think he's cute?" she repeated.

"I love you, Jen. Yes, I think he's cute, and he's a really sweet guy," she finally answered.

"Aw. That's good."

"I gave him my number, but I haven't heard from him yet."

"Oh wow. Look at you," Jen teased.

"It's not a big deal."

"I think it is."

"I have a boyfriend. And I love George. I just want to be friends with Stu, definitely, but I also don't want to jeopardize my relationship either. So, I can promise you, it's definitely not like that."

"Oh come on. First off, George would have no idea. And secondly, that guy can be a real bastard."

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "I see you've been talking to Justin way too much, once again," she breathed.

"Well, Justin and I are just really perceptive and knew from the beginning that George is just bad news for you. He's really cute, and he can be sweet when he wants to be, but he's mostly a jerk to you, and you don't deserve that aggravation he causes you," she explained to Ryleigh.

"Yeah, but I really think that it's just because of the stress that's been put on our relationship because I've been away so much lately, between the movie, the shoots, the promotions, I've barely seen him."

"That doesn't make it okay to be nasty to you whenever he feels like it," she replied. "I mean, Dave and I don't get to see each other as much as we want to, but he would never even think of treating me the way that George treats you."

"We just deal with the distance differently, albeit in a much less mature way, but that's just what we do," she excused her boyfriend's behavior.

"Whatever you say, Ry."

"I'm not breaking up with George any time soon, regardless of who doesn't like him," she firmly said.

"I get it. I get it. I know it's not my place to tell you what to do about your relationship, but I'm just saying. Stu is a really sweet guy. You deserve someone like him. Seriously. I just want you to be happy and treated like the queen you're supposed to be treated as," Jen told her friend.

"I know, and I do appreciate the fact that you care so much."

"I guess it's subject changing time, huh?" Jen questioned.

"Yeah. Probably."

"Okay. So, when do I get to see my most favoritest woman on the face of the earth?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"It better be soon, and you better bring the baby with you. I haven't seen him in forever. He must be getting so big."

* * *

"Vince, did you see these ratings?" Paul Levesque asked his boss and father-in-law, as he popped his head in the chairman's office.

"Yeah. They're through the roof," he replied. "Ryleigh Denning made a real impact on the show."

"She did. I think you should really get her back on."

"I do, too."

"Even the message boards on the website are blowing up with people talking about her. You really got something with her."

"I know. She did say that she would love to come back soon. Maybe I can get her back next month?"

"Hopefully. I mean, I know everyone expected her to be a huge deal, but I didn't think we'd hit over a nine in the ratings."

"What are you talking about? They're a 6.7."

"No. Those were the preliminary ratings. They were actually a 9.4," Paul corrected the CEO. "They had missed a couple of markets."

"Wow. Did we come close to Monday Night Football?"

"Closer than usual. They had a 13.4."

"Oh…wow. That is a lot closer…only a four point difference."

"Yeah, especially considering we've been stuck in the threes lately."

"So, what do we do? Maybe we can get her to sign with the company," Vince thought aloud.

Paul laughed. "Sure, Vince. She's gonna give up her extremely successful modeling career and her even more successful acting career that, together, earned her around $80 million dollars last year, just to join the WWE. Whatever you say, boss," he mocked him through his laughter.

"Holy sh…really? Eighty million?"

"Yeah. It was in Forbes. Between her modeling, acting and her contracts with a couple of companies, she's a cash machine. The woman is loaded. She definitely doesn't need a contract with the company."

"But she's a fan. Maybe that means she'll be more likely to want to sign with us because she loves what we do."

Paul raised his eyebrows. "Well, good luck with that. I mean, if she signed on, it would be huge. She's one of the most famous people on earth…but I honestly think that she's too big to be a Diva or anything like that."

"I know it's not likely, but maybe she'd be interested in considering it, at least. We could maybe train her to wrestle."

"From what I've heard, she's already got some training under her belt," his son-in-law told him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I heard that she sometimes goes to the Team 3D Academy and trains a little bit there," he explained.

"Wow…"

"Yeah. She comes pre-trained, with an automatic ratings boost. She's like the greatest superhero toy ever," he over-enthusiastically said.

"Maybe I can convince her…" Vince spoke, ignoring Paul's wiseass remark.

"Obviously, you're just getting more senile with age."

* * *

"Did you hear the Ryleigh rumor?" PJ asked Stu.

His head immediately snapped up, looking over in PJ's direction. "No. What Ryleigh rumor?" he asked.

"Apparently, Vince wants to sign her with the company. The ratings were like amazing for Raw, and he wants her to join us."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"That'd be incredible."

"Yeah. Your little girlfriend would be around you all of time. Wade Barrett would be such a happy man," PJ teased.

"Oh shut it, you wanker," he said, throwing his towel at the man known to the world as Justin Gabriel.

PJ laughed. "You have a little crush on her. It's adorable," he said. "Everyone thinks so."

"I don't have a crush on her. You're being ridiculous, you know," Stu denied the accusation.

"Everyone knows you like her. It's okay."

"I don't…"

"Oh come on. You never even shut up about her for a minute. And every time that you talk about her, you get this loving, dreamy look all over that handsome, British face," he continued teasing his friend.

"That's not true."

PJ ignored him. "Dave said you haven't called or texted her or anything yet, even though she gave you her number."

"I haven't…"

"Why not?"

"I um…I've been busy. Besides, she's really busy, too, you know? I don't want to be a bother or anything."

"But didn't she give you her number so that you would contact her?"

"Well, yeah…"

"You're such an idiot."

"Why? She was in London, I know."

"It's been over a week since we all hung out together. You should at least text her. She probably thinks that you don't like her of whatever."

"No…"

The locker room door opened abruptly, and Dave walked in with a shit-eating grin on his face. "I have quite a surprise for you guys," he greeted in a singsong voice, as Ryleigh entered the locker room.

"Hi guys," she greeted with a smile.

Stu looked like a deer in headlights. "Hey Ry," PJ greeted, trying not laugh at the expression on Stu's face. He gave her a hug.

"Hey PJ! How are you?"

The conversation was completely unheard by Stu, as his eyes were locked on Ryleigh. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans with a simple dark gray, off the shoulder top, wearing a pair of heels that matched her top. He couldn't believe that she was standing right in front of him. She was so beautiful. Stu was in shock. He truly had no idea that she was going to be coming by. If he did, he would have worked out harder, and he would have made sure that he was pickier when he got his hair cut earlier…

"Stu?" she asked, interrupting the nervous thoughts that were running through his head a mile a minute. She was giving him a strange look.

PJ and Dave were laughing hysterically at their friend, as they were standing behind Ryleigh. "Huh? What?" Stu asked, completely caught off guard, as he shook his head out of his thoughts.

"I said hi. Are you okay?" she asked, seemingly concerned, furrowing her brow in uncertainty.

"Oh. Hi. Yeah. Sorry. I'm fine. How are you?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "I'm good."

"So, what brings you over to my parts? I mean, what brings you over here to these parts?" he corrected himself, trying to will away the crimson blush that he felt rising to his cheeks.

She tried to not laugh, seeing that he was embarrassed. "Vince actually invited me here. He wanted to have a little meeting with me," she explained.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He offered me a contract," she revealed.

"Wait. What? You're joining the company?" he asked, shocked and feeling excitement overtaking him.

"Well, not exactly. I didn't give him a definite answer. I told him that I would consider it, though."

"So, what are you gonna do?" he asked.

Ryleigh shrugged. "I don't know. I have to think about it."

At that point, an unfamiliar face entered the room. "There you are," he spoke, as she turned to face him.

"Hey George. Sorry. Dave found me, and we were talking, and I stopped in here to say hi to the guys."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, this is George, my boyfriend. And this is PJ and Stu. You've met Dave already," she introduced.

He nodded at them. "Hey."

Stu was confused. She'd never mentioned a boyfriend to him before. And this guy looked like he was a total douche.

"I was just telling them about the contract," she told him.

George rolled his eyes. "You know you're not signing, so there's no point in even talking about it."

"I told you that I don't know what I'm going to do," she replied, giving him a look to get him to change his attitude in front of everyone.

"That'd just be really stupid of you to do, though, Ry. You don't need this place. You work enough with your real jobs," he dismissed.

"Okay," she replied, just brushing him off so that he would shut up.

Stu was not liking this guy at all. "So, George, what do you do?" he asked, trying to sound like he actually cared.

"I'm in the music business," he replied. "I'm in a band. Hollywood Undead."

"Oh. That's pretty interesting. And you enjoy it?"

"Yeah. I get to tour around the country with some of my closest friends. I got to meet this one because of the band," he said, wrapping an arm around Ryleigh and pulling her towards him, pressing his lips to her temple affectionately. She rested her hand on his abdomen, as her body was facing his, a small smile forming on her face. He could be a prick to her, sure. But he could always make her feel really great when he felt like it. His arm wrapped around her a little bit tighter, as he gave his girlfriend a smile.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Stu spoke, painfully, as he was trying to not show how much he was hurt by the sign of affection between the couple.

"It is. I'm hoping Ryleigh will be coming on the next tour with me," he replied, as his eyes focused on his girlfriend.

Ryleigh smiled. "We'll see. I've got a lot coming up, and if I sign Vince's contact, I'll have even more things to do," she explained.

"That would be so stupid of you," he said, hostility lacing each of his words, as they escaped his lips.

"Actually, you know, I love this company, and I really am considering signing on here," she snapped.

George's arm fell off of her in annoyance. "Don't make stupid, empty comments like that just to piss me off. You know you're not going to do something as retarded as joining the WWE. What are you gonna do here anyway? Stand around and look good. It's not like that isn't what you've been getting paid for anyway. You're biggest skill is looking good," he replied. Everyone was shocked by his rude comment.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I think it'd be fun," she replied, firmly, refusing to give in. "And I was told I was great out there."

"You were fantastic. Best guest star we've ever had, and I think you'd be a real asset to the company," Stu said, backing her up.

She gave him a smile. "Thank you, Stu."

George rolled his eyes. "You wanna be a wrestler now, babe? Don't you think that's a little ridiculous?"

"No, actually, I don't think it's ridiculous," she honestly replied. "Everyone said that I was crazy for modeling. And when I became the top earning supermodel in the world, everyone told me I was crazy for wanting to try acting. And, then, I was nominated for a Golden Globe, so excuse me if I don't really care who says I'm stupid for wanting to wrestle," she shot back, anger in her tone.

"Baby, you don't have to get all defensive with me. I'm just saying that you're one of the most famous celebrities in the world right now. You don't need to waste your time with this wrestling bullshit."

"You know, there's a catering area down the hall, George. Go get lunch there, okay?" she directed him.

"Trying to get rid of me? Fine. It's that's how you want to be, then, that's perfectly fine." George glared at her as he left the room.

"I'm sorry guys. He can be a bit of an ass sometimes," she apologized for his poor behavior.

"It's okay," Stu said. "I just don't understand why someone as close to perfection as you would tolerate that, but it's your call."

"He's not always an asshole," Ryleigh defended him, not looking Stu in his eyes. She knew he was right…she shouldn't tolerate his bullshit.

"If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, you're lying to everyone," Justin said, walking into the room.

"George?" Stu asked.

"Yeah. He's always a cock sucker…and not in the good way, either. He treats my woman like she's some trophy or something," he explained. "And I really don't like his bad attitude."

"Justin," she warned, giving him a look.

"What?" he asked her, his eyes widening as he shook his head at her. "It is the truth, you know."

"He's my boyfriend, and I love him. Be nice."

"Well, when he's nice to me for the first time ever, then, I'll be nice to him," he replied, stubbornly folding his arms over his chest. "Until that day comes, the George bashing shall commence."

Ryleigh shook her head and rolled her eyes. Stu decided to change the subject. "Well, you look wonderful."

"You know, Stu, I think that you should be the one who's dating my Ry Ry," Justin said. "The first thing George said to her, when he saw her was 'Oh? You're wearing that? It's not very flattering'," Justin mocked his best friend's boyfriend, with a scowl on his face. He hated it when George was mean to her.

"Well, I think you look beautiful. You always do," Stu complimented her, meaning the words as they escaped his lips.

A genuine smile crossed Ryleigh's face, lighting up her features. "Stu, you're a really sweet guy," she said, placing her hand on his arm. He felt shocks from the contact that their skin had.

He gave her a smile. "I try."

"If only I met you before I met George," she said with a chuckle.

"You can always dump the douche," Justin chimed in.

"Shut up, Justin Williams, before I kick your ass. And I've done it before. So you know that I'm serious," she shot at him.

"It's true. She would really be an awesome wrestler. She slapped the taste out of my mouth once…" he remembered with a fond smile. "I enjoyed it, though. She's a really hard hitter."

Ryleigh wrapped her arms around her best friend. "I love you so much, my Justy Cakes."

"I love you, too, pumpkin.," he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

"Just lay off of George, please. I really do love him," she said, softly.

"I'll try. But I can't make any promises."

Stu didn't like having to hear that the object of his affection loved someone else, especially someone who was such an obvious prick. It hurt him, considering the fact that he was worthy of her and would never treat her with such disrespect. "I'm gonna be back," he said, quickly leaving the room.

Ryleigh looked confused. "Is he okay?" she asked, seemingly worried and concerned over her friend's abrupt exit.

"Uh…yeah…he um…he just…uh…it's a whole thing," PJ tried to save.

Dave rolled his eyes. "Yeah…"

"What's going on?" she asked him.

"Sweetheart, I love you, but seriously, you have no idea what's wrong with him?" Justin asked.

"No…and you know?"

"It's clear as day. Stu likes you, and you're just standing here going on and on about how much that you love your idiot boyfriend," Justin explained.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "You're definitely crazy. He doesn't like me like that," she dismissed his explanation.

PJ and Dave tried not to laugh at how naïve she was being, as did Justin. "Okay," PJ replied with a roll of his eyes.

"You guys are like gossipy little girls," she scolded them.

"Are you kidding me? It's the most obvious thing. Everyone knows it," Dave defended them.

"I highly, highly doubt that. We're just friends. That's all," Ryleigh insisted, choosing not to believe what they were saying.

"Do you know that Stu didn't text or call you because he said he didn't want to bother you, as he put it? He wanted to call you so badly, but he was afraid to. He likes you, Ry," Dave insisted. Justin and PJ nodded in agreement.

Ryleigh shook her head. "You guys are just being troublemakers."

"Okay. Believe what you want," PJ said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I will."

"Don't be naïve, Ryleigh," Justin said.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes."

"Whatever."

* * *

Ryleigh was wandering around the backstage area, looking for George. She'd met up wit him after the little locker room incident, but after that, he had said he was looking for the bathroom, and she hadn't seen him since. She was at a loss as to where he possibly could be. That's when she found Stu. He was sitting alone, as the end of the hallway, looking down at the floor.

"Hey Stu," she said, softly, as she walked towards him and sat down.

He looked up at her slowly. "Hey," he reciprocated. He seemed to be upset over something.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," he simply replied.

"You seem…I dunno…like something's wrong."

He shrugged. "I'm okay."

She eyed him curiously, not believing him, but not wanting to push the subject, if he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, what are you up to?"

"Not too much. Just hanging around, waiting for my match in a couple of hours, once the show starts…well, right before it ends, really," he replied.

"You're not being your normal self," she observed with a frown.

"How am I being?" he asked.

"I dunno…distant."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. But if there is something wrong, and I can help, I hope you would let me know. And if it's something that I did, I hope you know you can talk to me about it," she said, placing her hand on his arm.

He looked up at her and smiled. "I'm okay," he insisted. "But it does mean a lot to me that you care so much."

"Well, I do. We're friends now. Even if you never did text or call me," she said, nudging him with her elbow, smirking.

"I didn't know that you were waiting for me to do so."

"I gave you my number for a reason, silly man."

"I figured that you were busy, and I didn't want to bother you or anything like that," he told her.

"You could never be a bother. I like you, Stu. You're a really sweet guy, and I do want to be friends with you."

"And how does your boyfriend feel about that?" he asked, trying as hard as he could to not come off as hostile.

"Well, obviously I didn't exactly tell him. He's…not exactly….well…he gets really jealous, very easily."

"He should trust you."

"I wish he would…but…he's just worried that I'll find someone else and break up with him, I guess."

"If he's gonna spend all of his time being paranoid, then he's really gonna just waste the time that he does have with you," Stu pointed out.

"I know."

"I know that it's not my place to say anything about it, but I just think that you deserve to be treated a lot better. He was terribly rude and disrespectful to you earlier, when we were in the locker room."

"He just…well, he doesn't want me to sign on with the company, and I do understand why, but…I have to make the right decision for me, whether or not he approves of it. You know?"

"Absolutely."

Ryleigh rested her head on Stu's shoulder. "Ugh. I hate being stressed out over this whole thing," she groaned.

Stu wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He wished that she was his so badly. He hadn't even known her for very long, but he was totally hooked on her. He knew he would treat her better than Stu did. "Where is your man?"

She shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I was looking for him. He disappeared on me," she replied.

"Well, you're more than welcome to hang out with me," he offered, hoping she'd choose to accept the invitation.

"I guess that means you're stuck with me, then."

Stu smiled. "I wouldn't call it stuck. I'm quite happy to have you hanging around with me."

"Good."

* * *

The two spent the next couple of hours hanging out with each other, seeing as Ryleigh didn't know where George had run off to. But seeing as she was with Stu in the meantime, she didn't really care that she couldn't find him. And Stu was definitely more than happy to have her with him.

While Stu had his match against Randy Orton, Ryleigh was watching from one of the upper luxury boxes in the arena. That's where George had somehow managed to find her, when he finally decided to look for her.

"Hey baby," he greeted, sitting next to her.

"Hey," she said, her eyes focused on the match going on below.

"Where've you been?"

"Well, I couldn't find you, and while I was looking around, I ran into Stu. So, I was hanging out with him for a bit," she replied, flinching, as she saw Randy deliver a scoop slam to Stu.

"What is with that guy?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The guy looks at you like he's in love with you."

"Don't be silly. He's just a friend," she dismissed his opinion, bouncing in her seat, as Stu gained the upper hand, clothes lining Randy.

"Well, he seems like a friend who wishes that there was more going on between the two of you."

"I highly doubt that. But even if he did, it wouldn't happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm in love with my boyfriend," she casually replied, her eyes still glued on the match.

"Oh? Are you?" he asked, a smile forming on his handsome face, as he pulled her onto his lap, while she continued watching the action below. It was really beginning to annoy George that she wasn't focusing on him…or even looking at him.

"You know I am, babe."

"That's surprising, seeing as you haven't even managed to pull your eyes off the fucking match long enough to look at me, since I've walked in here. You're too busy watching your little boyfriend," he snapped at her.

"I'm here to watch the show, and this is a really good match," she replied, still not looking at him.

"You're so fucking ridiculous," he growled, pushing her off of his lap. She glared at him, before sitting back in her seat and continuing to watch the match. She probably would have been significantly more upset than she was at what had just transpired, if she hadn't been so focused on the action going on in the ring. She was really more annoyed with him than anything else at the moment. He was being a douchebag and in front of her new friends, and that was embarrassing to her and pissed her off. And pushing her was a big no no in her book, but she was much more set on watching Stu's match. At least he appreciated her. If only she knew just how much he truly did. Maybe that would have changed something for the current state of their relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin, though Justin may protest that, I assure you, I own him, too.**

* * *

**A/N: I appreciate everyone who has been reviewing and favoriting and alerting and even just reading this story. It means a lot to me. I've been honestly only working and sleeping and writing whenever I can, as I have an impacted wisdom tooth and have been drugged up by my dentist to deal with the pain, seeing as my lovely boss wouldn't let me have off to get it removed, until Thursday of next week. But I will be home for a few days then, so hopefully you'll see some more updates next week. I've been writing in my notebooks, and I do have lots to add, it's just a matter of getting out of bed long enough to type everything up. So, thank you, I love you all, and I hope you enjoy! XoXoXoXo**

* * *

Stu had Ryleigh on the brain constantly. They hadn't really hung out too much after the show the other night because George was being a bastard, as per the usual. Stu wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of him. He couldn't understand why she would choose to be with someone like him, especially over someone like Stu, who would treat her so much better. He'd do anything for her, whereas George seemed to not give a shit about her, in the least. She was so friendly, sweet and upbeat, while George had been such a whiny downer, with the attitude of a drunk Mel Gibson, treating everyone like shit and causing a fight and an unnecessary scene wherever he went. Stu knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could make Ryleigh so much happier than she pretended to be with her douchebag boyfriend. He just needed one little chance to prove that to her. But with said douchebag boyfriend in the way, it didn't seem likely he'd be able to use that chance as he had intended to.

Stu wouldn't really cop to his feelings to all of his friends, though. That would really only solidify the fact that Ryleigh belonged to someone else, and he wouldn't be with her. In his own mind, he would be able to deal with it, but not with his friends constantly up his ass about it. They made it obvious that they knew damn well how much he care about her, though. Honestly, how could they not? Every time her name was merely mentioned, his head would snap up and the look on his face was unmistakable. He had it bad for Ryleigh. But he couldn't do much about it.

Considering he still hadn't contacted her, Stu still hadn't heard any word as to whether or not Ryleigh decided to sign with Vince's contract. There'd been nothing on the part of the WWE dropping any hints or making any statements, so he was really just playing the waiting game. It had been three days since she'd met with him. He was praying that she would go along with it. If he could see her everyday, it would make him the happiest man on the face of the earth. He'd have a much better chance at making things really happen with her. All he needed was that opportunity. Just ONE chance. That would be all he needed to prove to her that he was worth giving up George for.

At the same time, though, he really didn't think that Ryleigh would want to be with someone like him anyway. She had dated Leonardo DiCaprio, for crying out loud. And Stu was pretty sure that he was no Leo. Hell, his nose had been broken so many times from when he was a bare knuckle boxer that it was crooked now. She was a supermodel. Maxim had named her the Hottest Woman in the World. She would never be with Stu. Sure, he was successful as a wrestler, and he made really good money. But she made a hell of a lot more than he did. Ryleigh was known by everyone in the entire world. The only people who knew who he was…well, they were WWE fans…and FCW followers. Judging from the ratings as of late, it was a few million people, whereas she was known the world over, and she wasn't limited to the number of wrestling fans. Even if someone didn't follow her career every week on television, they knew damn well who Ryleigh Denning was. She was everywhere and dabbled in anything she could sink her teeth into.

Stu was starting to feel like he wasn't good enough for her. But he did know that he was better than some Eminem wannabe, who wore a mask onstage. He listened to Hollywood Undead, out of sheer curiosity. Though they weren't his kind of music, he could appreciate the band's unique sound. But George thought the world of himself, whereas he should've thought the world of his incredible girlfriend. Stu was determined to make her his…even with the risk of failing miserably.

There was a huge difference between Stu and George, aside from their looks and vastly different personalities. And that was Stu's reasons for wanting to be with Ryleigh versus George's reasons. Stu wanted to be with her because she was a sweet, fun, friendly, good person. She had a heart of gold and the mere thought of her could put a smile on his face. She didn't even have to do anything to make him happy. He truly admired the person that she was. Sure, she was a gorgeous millionaire, whose face and body were plastered all over the world. She had the celebrity status to match her bank account. The shallow reasons were there, but those reasons had nothing to do with why he cared about her. And he was pretty sure that George was only with her because she was Ryleigh Denning, celebrity extraordinaire, whereas Stu cared because she was Ryleigh Denning, the sweetest, most wonderful woman he's never met in his entire thirty years. He needed her to see that. He just didn't know how to make that happen.

Between Justin clearly wanting them to be together, as well as David and Jen wanting the same thing, he thought that there was some tiny, microscopic glimmer of hope that there was a chance it could happen, though he doubted that glimmer would get him very far. But he would take any help he could get. Now, if only he could fight off his nerves long enough to actually text or call her…

* * *

Ryleigh was at George's apartment. She had two days off, and she planned on spending as much time with him as she could. Things had been on a downward spiral, but this was her chance to fix it.

"Hey baby, do you want to go out tonight?" George asked, sitting next to her on the couch, as she was drinking a cup of hot chocolate, lazily watching "The Princess Bride" on the television in front of her.

"With who? Just us?"

"Well, I was thinking dinner…just the two of us."

"If you want to," she replied. "I don't care where we are, as long as I'm with you," she explained.

George smiled and wrapped an arm around her., pressing a kiss to her head. "Would you rather just order in and watch a movie or something?"

She shrugged. "Whatever, babe."

"Alright. I'll order Italian. Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful," she spoke with a blissful smile.

George quickly kissed her on the lips, before getting back up to order their dinner for the evening.

It was times this where she could justify her relationship to any of her friends or acquaintances or anyone who opposed it. George wasn't always an asshole to her like it seemed he was. He could be a sweet, romantic, loving boyfriend when he wanted to be. And that was when she loved what they had.

She darted her eyes over to her cell phone that was laying on the coffee table but found the little green light alerting her of any messages was not blinking, as she had hoped it would. Ryleigh didn't know why Stu hadn't gotten in touch with her yet. Maybe he didn't like her after all. That sucked a lot because she really liked him. Hell, she even had a crush on him, too. He was hot and sweet. He made her feel so great all of the time. He was a really good friend. She just wished that she hadn't ended up looking like such a dick when George was around and being a prick to her and everyone that she called a friend. He was always so rude, and she felt like it really reflected poorly upon her. Maybe George was a part of the reason Stu hadn't contacted her.

"Alright, Ry. The food will be here in twenty," he said, sitting next to her again. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She cuddled up against him. "You know, I do miss you when you're gone."

Ryleigh looked up at him and smiled. "You know I miss you whenever we're apart," she said softly. "I miss you so much."

"Well, at least we've got two days together before you leave me again," he replied, emphasizing that it was her who was leaving. She put her hot chocolate down next to her phone and scooted on top of George's lap. Ryleigh wrapped her arms around him and rested her face against the crook of his neck. His hands were resting on her lower back. "You okay, babe?" he asked her.

"I've just missed this so much. We've been fighting so much lately that we haven't been like this in so long," she explained, her voice low.

"I know…"

"I love you, George."

"I love you, too, baby," he reciprocated. "Seriously, are you okay? You seem more emotional than you usually are."

"I just wish we could always be like this," she answered, feeling her eyes filling up with tears.

"Well, we could be…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling her head up from his neck and giving him a confused look.

"I was gonna wait for a special time to do this, but…" George put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a small black box. Ryleigh looked completely confused, at this point. "Baby, I know we've been having a lot of problems lately, but you know that I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He flipped opened the box, revealing a four-carat, Princess cut diamond, set on a platinum band with beaded diamonds around the surface of the band. "Will you marry me?" he proposed.

Ryleigh's eyes quickly refilled with tears. "Oh my God. Are you serious?" she asked, in shock.

"I am," he replied with a smile.

"Of course I'll marry you," she accepted. George immediately hugged her to his body. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his body.

"Thank God," he whispered. When the two finally pulled apart, he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Ryleigh's finger.

"Wow. This is really beautiful," she admired the sparkling ring on her finger. She couldn't believe this was really happening.

"Almost as beautiful as you," he complimented.

She looked back at him, a huge smile on her face. "I love you so much, George."

"I love you, too, Ry."

She pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his.

* * *

Well, Stu had finally managed to find a solid conversation starter when it came to getting in touch with Ryleigh. Her recent engagement to the douchebag otherwise known as George Ragan was splashed all over the front of every newspaper, tabloid, magazine, website, etc. And he was far from being happy for her. Was she seriously planning on marrying him? That was just absurd. He was such a bastard to her whenever he got the chance, and now she was engaged to him?

After much procrastination, Stu finally pulled out his cell phone. 'Hey you. It's Stu. Just wanted to say congratulations on the engagement,' he spitefully texted her, though he didn't want her to know he was being spiteful and tried to sound like he was being polite about the situation. He anxiously awaited her reply.

'Hey Stu! Thanks so much! How are you?'

He rolled his eyes. He was just fucking peachy. Really. 'I'm good. What are you up to?' he lied. He wasn't good. He was upset and angry over this whole Ryleigh being engaged mess.

'Not much. In Milan for a shoot. To NY tomorrow.'

'That's pretty cool.'

Stu found that every time his phone alerted him of an incoming message, his heart would skip a beat. He was crazy about her. He couldn't just stand by and watch this happen. This was just way too much for him to deal with.

"You okay?" PJ asked, looking over at Stu, as he was driving the car to the next venue, the Nexus leader in the front passenger seat.

"Yeah…"

"Are you still upset over Ryleigh getting engaged to that asshole?" he asked with a slight frown.

Stu shrugged. "It's her decision. If she wants to marry that asshole, then, she can go ahead and do it. I can't stop her."

"You sound a little hostile."

"I'm not. She's an adult. If she said yes, it's her problem," he tried to brush it off to get PJ off of his case.

"Bullshit. You're so pissed off. You're in love with the woman, and I don't blame you for being upset about this bogus engagement. George is a complete douchebag, and she deserves better than that."

"I'm not in love with her," he refused.

"Yes, you are. We can all see it."

Stu rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

PJ smirked. "You know I'm right. Whenever she's around you act like a lovesick puppy. It's very cute," he teased.

"Shut up about it already."

He laughed. "Okay. Okay. You've proven me wrong," he sarcastically shot back at his friend.

Stu's phone went off, alerting him of yet another new text message. He read it. 'Yeah. It's beautiful here. Where are you?'

'On the road with PJ, headed to Orlando, FL,' he responded.

'Aw! That sounds like fun! Tell PJ I say hi.'

"Ryleighsayshello," he quickly mumbled.

"What was that?" he asked, a grin appearing on his face. He was well aware of what Stu just said.

"Ryleigh says hello," he repeated, speaking up, just waiting for PJ's reaction. He knew that it was going to be blown out of proportion, especially considering the conversation they were having.

"No way. You actually texted her finally?" he said that smug smile on his slightly surprised face.

"Yes, I texted her. She gave me her number, and I finally used it. I just congratulated her on the engagement."

"Aw how cute that is. Stu is sucking up his pride and pretending to be happy for the woman of his dreams, while she's getting ready to marry some douche bag rapper," PJ mocked him.

"Listen, I can't change her mind. We've hung out only twice before. What am I supposed to do? Say 'hey, by the way, you should be with me instead if the guy you want to marry?' I highly doubt that would work."

"If you don't try, you'll never really know," he replied with a shrug.

"She's in love with the wanker. There's not much more I can do about that. She's not gonna leave someone that she wants to marry for someone that she barely knows," Stu told his friend, speaking quite sharply.

"At least you're admitting you have feeling for her. That's an improvement," PJ pointed out, knowing that in his frustration, he had unwittingly disclosed the information through his response.

"I didn't have to tell you for you to know."

"Yeah, but it's nice to have you acknowledge it."

"Don't be an idiot, PJ."

"I do feel really badly for you, Stu. She shouldn't be marrying that guy. He's not good enough for her."

"And I am? Look at her. She's a supermodel, an actress. She's such an amazing person. She's…Ryleigh is…everything, I'm some wrestler with a crooked nose who people hate because of his in-ring persona. Even I'm not good enough for her, and I'd treat her like she was a queen…not like George. He's always so nasty to her. He acts like she's some disposable bimbo like he's probably used to."

"You think you're not good enough? You're a good guy, and in a guy to guy, no homo way, I think you're good looking. You do deserve her, Stu."

"I dunno. She's just…she's so great. I'd be lucky to be able to call her mine, and I wish her wanker of a boyfriend…I'm sorry…fiancée, could see that and treat her better. I just want her to be happy."

"I know man, but you can say something . It's better than sitting back and watching her be with that jerk off."

"She'd hate me."

"Maybe she'd feel the same way. You never know," PJ pointed out.

"I doubt that," Stu dismissed the idea.

"Well, I hope that you do say something. You should be with her," he said, shaking his head.

"I don't know. I don't want to interfere in her relationship. It's not my place to cause trouble for her."

"Fine. If you don't wanna fight for her, then, maybe you were right…maybe you don't deserve her."

"Actually, I just don't want to complicate her life," Stu snapped.

"Maybe you're just afraid of being rejected by her, but I don't think that would happen," he spoke matter of factly.

"It doesn't matter anymore. She's engaged now," Stu brushed off the subject, not wanting to speak about it any longer.

"I think it does matter," he refuted his friend's claim.

Stu rolled his eyes. "If you choose to believe that rubbish, then that's your choice, but I'm telling you you're wrong."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

* * *

"I can't believe you're engaged to that dick head," Justin whined to his best friend. "I wanted you to sleep with Stu, dump the douchebag boyfriend and end up with the hot, sweet wrestler."

"How many times do I have to explain to you that Stu and I are just friends? It's not like that," Ryleigh denied for the umpteenth time.

"But still. It's not fair," he pouted.

"Oh jeeze. Get over it."

"I can't. I know you said that I could be your maid of honor, but I'd rather be involved in a wedding where you marry someone who doesn't actually suck at life," Justin told her, his voice still whiny.

She glared at him. "Don't insult my fiancée. If I wave the shiny diamond in your face, will it shut you up about it?" she asked, waving the engagement ring in front of his face, knowing that he loved diamonds.

Justin rolled his eyes at her attempt to get him to lighten up. "Psh. If it wasn't from that douchebag, I'd appreciate it a lot more. I'd prefer if it was from a certain gorgeous Brit who has it bad for you."

"Justin!" she protested, raising her voice.

He gave her an innocent look. "What did I do?" he asked, giving her his usually irresistible puppy dog eyes.

"Cut it out already. I'm happy. George and I have been getting along really well since we got engaged…"

"It was a week ago. Don't be too excited about it. Come to me and brag about getting along with him when it lasts for a month…at least."

Ryleigh bit her lower lip. She was actually getting really upset over their conversation because she knew Justin was right about her relationship. As much as she truly did love George, she had a really hard time getting along with him. She knew he wasn't easy to not fight with him all of the time…if you were dating him. He had lots of friends, and they all loved him, but he just always had a bad attitude directed at the supposed love of his life. "I just wish…" she drifted.

Justin was actually starting to feel remorse for attacking her relationship. Ryleigh looked like she was about to cry. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry," he apologized. He hated it when she would cry.

"I just wish we didn't fight as much as we do. I love him so much, and I really don't like fighting with him, but sometimes he can just be so nasty to me, and I try so hard not to put up with it anymore. I don't like not getting along with him. I wish we were always happy." As she was speaking, her voice began cracking, making Justin feel twice as bad as before. He didn't mean for this to happen.

"I know you love him, Ry…"

"I do. I love him so much, and I know that we have a really rough relationship most of the time, but I just thought that if we were engaged, maybe things would start to change for the better. You know? And they have been a lot better since…and I'm hoping that it'll last. I know it probably won't, but…I can hope, right?"

Justin's heart broke as his best friend had started crying. He wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his shoulder. "Maybe it will be better. I mean, I didn't think he would propose any time soon. Maybe George realized how lucky he is to have you," he tried to make her feel better. But it fell on deaf ears.

"Do you think he loves me at all?" she asked through her tears.

"Sweetheart, he loves you. How could he not?" he rhetorically asked, shaking his head at the thought. Truth be told, he was lying. Justin never really believed that George had loved her. Anyone who treats his girlfriend the way he had spent the past year treating her, clearly didn't love her.

"Because he's always fighting with me. He doesn't trust me…I just don't understand why, though. I never gave him a reason not to."

"I know, baby girl. I'm sure it's jut because he's scared. Maybe he's paranoid. I don't blame him for that either. He's got such an amazing, beautiful, sweet, perfect girlfriend," Justin said softly. "Seriously. He's just scared that someone else is gonna try to snatch you away from him."

"I'm scared…"

"Why?"

"Because what if he doesn't love me?"

"Do you think he'd propose to you if he didn't?"

Ryleigh honestly thought for a moment. "He might…"

"Why?"

"It's a whole thing…"

"Why, Ryleigh?" he insisted.

"Well…because…don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

"You know you can trust me, baby."

"Sometimes I really think that he's with me because of who I am and how much money I have," she confided in her best friend.

"Why would he do that?"

"He makes comments sometimes, and he plays them off as joking, but sometimes I feel like it isn't a joke."

"What kind of comments?" Justin inquired.

"Sometimes he says that being with me is like free publicity for Hollywood Undead. Sometimes he says that being in with me, if the group ever ended, at least he's got a rich, supermodel of a girlfriend to fall back on. And he always makes comments about me being like a trophy to show off to people."

Justin looked shocked. "What? Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yeah…"

"Okay, so before you two get married, hunnie, you best be signing a pre-nup," he told her.

"I know."

There was a semi-uncomfortable silence between the two. "Do you trust him?" he finally asked.

"I want to…"

"But do you?"

"I don't know."

"Be careful, okay, pumpkin? Because I will not hesitate to bitch slap him back into his mother's womb. I'm telling you I will cut a mother fucker if he tries to fuck you over in anyway," he promised her.

She let a small, fleeting smile cross her face. "I love you," she said softly. "Very much so."

"I know you do. And I love you, too," he reciprocated.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, you know?" The tears were still flowing down her crimson blushed cheeks.

"I know, baby. But everything will work itself out. You know that I've got your back no matter what happens. And regardless of anything, I will always be on your side. And if that son of a bitch fucks up, I highly doubt that I'm the only one who would kick his ass," Justin assured her.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Hey beautiful," George greeted, walking into Ryleigh's house. He had a smile on his face.

"Hey George," she greeted, giving him a smile.

He sat next to her. "How you doing, baby?"

"I'm okay."

"What are you reading?" he asked, curiously.

"The contract that Vince offered me," she replied, still eyeing the white pages filled with the black print.

"You have got to be kidding me. I thought we agreed that you weren't going to join that stupid company," he shot back with a roll of his eyes.

"No. You decided that you didn't want me to sign with them. I never agreed with that. I'm still very much interested in being a part of the WWE," she replied, her voice was casual and not confrontational.

"Well, you should give it up already because I'm not gonna have a wife who thinks that she's a fucking wrestler," he told her.

"So, if I join the WWE, you won't marry me?" she asked him in complete disbelief that he was being such a controlling bastard.

"I don't know…"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Ryleigh, I just-"

"No. No. No. If you won't marry me, it's just because you don't really love me and don't want to be with me," she replied, putting the contract papers down on the couch next to her, as she turned her attention to George.

"Don't you dare throw that bullshit on me. You know for a fact that I love you very much. But I can't even begin to deal with having a wife who's parading around the world like she's a wrestler. That's just stupid. You're better than that."

"Why don't you want me to do it? You don't want the guys teasing you because I could kick your ass?" she asked with a shrug.

He faked a laugh. "No. It's because I don't want you wasting your time with something so fucking childish."

"If it's something that I like, then it's not stupid or childish," she replied, shaking her head at his comments.

"Yes, this is very stupid, Ryleigh. Clearly your judgment is way off," he replied, once again rolling his eyes at her.

Ryleigh shook her head. "Do you even love me, George?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.

"You know I love you. What the fuck is going on with you?" he asked, his voice starting to become even more confrontational.

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Like what? This wrestling bullshit?" he yelled.

"That's one thing I've been thinking about," she replied. "And I've been thinking about stuff with us…"

"Like?"

"Just stuff."

"You wanna tell me what you're thinking about with us?" he asked her, his voice demanding. She just shrugged, not wanting to fight. "Ryleigh…" his voice spoke, in an almost warning tone.

"I'm just worried about the way things are between us."

"Why? We're engaged. Doesn't that mean you're supposed to stop worrying about every little fucking thing?" he asked sharply.

"No…" Her voice was soft and low, desperately not wanting to fight with George anymore. She just wanted things to be okay.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he raised his voice.

"Nothing."

"What is your problem, Ryleigh? Because obviously you have one."

"I don't want to fight with you," she told him.

"You're the one starting with me!" he yelled, standing up.

"No, I'm not," she refuted.

"Yes, you are!"

Ryleigh stood up and tried to wrap her arms around George. "I love you. I don't want to fight with you," she tried to assuage the situation. But George wasn't feeling so affectionate. He pushed her back away from him.

"Don't fucking touch me, Ryleigh. Just leave me the fuck alone!" he yelled at her harshly.

"No, baby, please," she begged him, stepping up to him again, but he pushed her away again. She stumbled back, as tears flooded her eyes.

"Don't speak to me." He made his way towards the door. She ran in front of him, blocking him from leaving.

"Please don't go," she begged, as she began crying. "Please. I love you, George. Don't leave. Let's talk about this and fix it. We're okay. We don't have to fight about this. Please, baby."

"Get out of my fucking way!" he roared.

"No!" she grabbed his shirt, as she cried. "Please. I'm begging you not to leave like this."

George grabbed her by both of her arms and threw her out of the way. She fell onto the floor, as he left her house, slamming the door behind himself, leaving his fiancée behind, as she cried hysterically. Ryleigh sat up on the hardwood floor. Her fighting with George had never escalated to the physical level it just got to. It scared her, but she didn't know exactly what to do about it.

Ryleigh didn't get up off of the floor right away. She just sat there, continuing to cry. She was in disbelief at what just transpired in her house. She couldn't believe that he had pushed her repeatedly, and then, sealed it off with grabbing her arms and throwing her down on the floor the way he did. She decided that she would wait a couple of hours before calling George to try to fix things. Clearly he was really pissed off at the moment and needed to cool off a bit, but things needed to get better…and quickly.

* * *

Stu was missing Ryleigh. It had been almost two weeks since he had last seen her. He'd spoke to her once in a while through text messages. She had been acting really strange, though. She wasn't her normal, friendly self. She spoke in very few words, and it seemed, to him, like something was very wrong. He was really worried about her well-being. He couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was, but he was fairly certain that he was right in believing that it had something to do with douche bag George.

"You've got to relax a little bit," David said, placing his hand on Stu's shoulder trying to calm him down.

"I just feel like…something's not right," he breathed to his friend.

"So? I'll have Jen call her and check up on her," he offered.

"Do you have Justin's number?"

"No…"

"Does Jen?"

"Probably."

"Can you get it for me?" Stu asked.

"Why?"

"Because I'm really worried."

"Just calm down, okay? I'm sure everything's okay. It'll all be fine. Just…you have to relax."

"I'm not so sure anything's okay."

"Trust me, with Justin around, nothing bad can happen to her," David replied with a laugh.

"Oh? You really think so?"

"I know so. Justin's a really cool guy. He's got a heart of gold, but he will fuck someone up for Ryleigh without even thinking twice about it. I mean, he gets crazy about it. He can be vicious. He's so over protective of her that he got his gun license and has a very…extensive gun collection, too. Actually, funny story, one of his guns, his favorite is a Beretta Billennium, he got it encrusted in diamonds. One time, a guy went on a date with Ry, and she was a bit uncomfortable with him. They got back to her house, and at the time, Justin was still living with her. This guy got a little too touchy feely, and she had texted Justin about it, while he was in his room, and she was in the living room with this guy, who wouldn't leave and obviously wanted to get in her pants. Within maybe thirty seconds, Justin was in the living room, shoving his bedazzled Beretta…which he calls Bebe and talks about like she's a person sometimes, in Mr. Roman Hands's face, kicking him out and telling him not to ever speak to her again. He ran out, scared shitless. It was…priceless to hear him tell the story, especially when you think about little Justin. I mean he's only 5'10" and maybe weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet," David recalled. "So, if anything's wrong, trust me, Justin has her back. It doesn't matter how harmless he may seem, he will kill for her."

Stu took a deep breath. "Okay," he finally relented.

"Seriously, Ryleigh can protect herself, and if there's any problem with her taking care of business, Justin can and will back her up. You don't have to worry about her well-being," he reassured him.

"Okay. I'll back off. I just…I don't want anything to happen to her."

"You really care about her, don't you, Stu?" he asked. This is…it's a really big deal, you know?"

"I have a stupid little crush on her. It's really not a big deal," he tried to downplay his feelings for her, but Dave knew better.

"Bullshit. Don't lie to me. You're really crazy about this chick," he continued blowing up Stu's spot, as a smile formed on his face.

Stu rolled his eyes. "Dave…"

"Don't 'Dave…' me," he mocked. "You're caught. You really do care about her. It's cute."

"Shut up."

"Hey, listen, don't deny the truth. It's just me. I'm not gonna tell anyone. I'm just...I'm actually happy for you."

"Why?"

"Because you to could be perfect for each other. I just wish that she'd ditch that prick and get with you."

Stu shook his head slowly. "She loves him. She's gonna marry him. She doesn't care about me like that."

* * *

Ryleigh was sitting on a plane, anxiously awaiting her landing, though she still had another half an hour until it would happen. She had to make some major changes in her life, and that was what she was making sure she took care of, before she lost her nerves. After all, she was the only one living it. She was supposed to be the one making her own decisions, with her happiness in mind. George had been giving her such a distant, uncaring attitude since their fight. They had barely spoken to each other in the past week since it had happened. She hadn't told anyone what had happened. She knew that it would be blown up into a much bigger situation than it actually was, and she didn't want to have to deal with that at right now. She didn't even bother telling Justin about it…and Ryleigh told him everything that went on in her life that he wasn't around to witness. It was just a misunderstanding between the two. That was all it was.

But Ryleigh really didn't know what she should do about it. It scared her to be in that situation. The cold look in his eyes, the anger that surrounded each word as he cruelly spoke to her, the bostility in his every movement, all of it just scared her. His grasp on her arm before he threw her onto the floor had hurt her, and it had left a small bruise on her. She had to reschedule some photo shoots, citing some bogus excuse about a stomach virus. Ryleigh hated doing things like that. She was always very reliable, which was why there wasn't a problem when it came to calling out of the shoot. Everyone was always very understanding when it came to her. If she couldn't do it, there was definitely a valid reason, and no one would ever question her actions.

Ryleigh had dealt with his anger before, but his cruelty and physicality were escalating quite quickly. It terrified her to think that he could hurt her so easily and without remorse. And then, what would happen if she went ahead and got married to him? Would it just get worse? Would she be one of those people that ended up on the talk shows discussing how their marriage went from wonderful to violent in a matter of weeks? Would George actually hit her? She honestly didn't think so, but she also had never even thought for a second that he would push her and grab her and throw her onto the floor, either. Ryleigh wasn't sure what she was supposed to think anymore.

That's why she was taking this short trip. It was making sure her life remained her own and would stay that way, regardless of who protested her decisions. Ryleigh had to keep her eyes open in this situation. She loved George, and she wanted nothing more than to be with him and marry him, but she sure as hell wasn't going to be some battered wife or anything like that. Ryleigh had been good friends with Rihanna for a few years. She had known her during her former relationship to Chris Brown. She saw the abuse cycle first hand, when her friend was dealing with it during her own relationship. She also saw how her friend managed to regain her power and control over her own life and end their tumultuous relationship. Rihanna got over her past and was using it to her advantage, as a learning experience. Though Ryleigh's relationship with George was not at all like Chris and Rihanna's ex-relationship, she was determined to keep it that way.

Ryleigh was reading on the place. She loved to read. She was currently on Russell Brand's autobiography, "My Booky Wook." She'd been good friend with the actor/comedian and his new wife, Katy Perry. He had given her the book and told her she would love it and had to read it. She was enjoying it, too, though her excitement for this little trip was causing her to not be able to concentrate on the words she was trying to focus her attention on. This was much needed for her. Ryleigh was about to turn a lot of people's worlds upside down and inside out. And she couldn't wait for the adventure that she knew she was about to embark on. This was going to be huge.


	5. Chapter 5

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin. I wish I owned the others…**

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys...sooo...this is probably going to be my only update to any of my stories for the next couple of days, seeing as I'm heavily medicated and in an extreme amount of pain, as I had two wisdom teeth removed yesterday. It definitely was not fun, and I'm suffering here. I borrowed my mom's netbook to type this up, while I'm in bed, whining about the pain :o( Anyways, I appreciate all of the reviews, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I agree with all of you, George is a dick, but let's be fair, things always have to get worse before they get better! I did some editing and stuff, but I'm sleepy and stopped halfway through the chapter, so if there are errors that spell check didn't catch, I do apologize. If you'd like to review, I certainly wouldn't mind it, seeing as it would make me want to smile, though I can't because my mouth hurts too much to do so. I hope you all enjoy! Love you! XoXoXoXoXo Jamie**

* * *

Ryleigh stepped off of the private plane. She was ready for a big change to come into her life. And that's exactly what was about to happen for her. She hadn't brought any luggage with her was able to quickly make her way into the town car that had been awaiting her arrival. There was only one other person, besides herself and the driver, who knew for sure where she was headed. Ryleigh was making huge changes within the next couple of hours. And there was no one around to stop her. And that was exactly her plan, to do this without anyone to give her any problems or cast any doubt on her decision.

Sitting in the backseat of the car, she stared out of the window, watching the world pass her by. Ryleigh was fairly overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation of what this trip would bring. Calling this little meeting to order was the best possible thing she could have done for herself. It was her decision that she needed to make for her own sanity. And maybe a little sanity was what would do it for her. It would surely cause some problems for her that she really didn't need, once people found out about it. But at this point, she couldn't really care less. It was her life, and this was what she wanted.

As the town car came to a stop in front of her intended destination, Ryleigh's heart began racing in her chest. She was unsure if it was just because she was nervous, or if it was an adrenaline rush, but she was most definitely feeling the excitement of the decision she was about to make official. This, to her, was a huge deal.

Ryleigh opened the large glass doors and walked right in. She wore her hat low on her head, along with a pair of sunglasses. The last thing that she needed was for people to find out that it was she who had entered the building. The tabloids would be buzzing, and the world would definitely be talking. She didn't need that just yet. Ryleigh wanted to hide it for a little while because she knew it was going to blow up in her face. She confidently walked up to the front desk.

"Hi. I have a 12:30 meeting with Mr. McMahon," she kindly spoke to the receptionist, who hadn't looked up from her computer yet.

"Uh huh. And your name, sweetie?" the young blonde asked, seemingly unamused. She was probably used to people trying to fake their way in and get to meet the CEO of the WWE.

Ryleigh pulled her sunglasses and hat off and quickly threw them into her large Louie Vuitton bag. "I'm Ryleigh Denning."

The woman behind the desk immediately looked up, in shock, as her eyes fell upon the world renowned supermodel.

"Oh. Ms. Denning, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Welcome. Let me get in touch with Mr. McMahon," she quickly spoke.

"It's not a problem. I understand. Thank you," she said, giving the woman a genuine smile.

Within moments, a young woman approached Ryleigh. "Ms. Denning, welcome to the WWE Corporate Office. It's a pleasure to have you here. Mr. McMahon was very pleased when he heard from you last night. He's very interested in hearing what you have to say," she said, extending her hand to her.

Ryleigh shook it. "Well, I figured that it's been a few weeks since we had first met upto discuss business, and I owed it to him to at least give him an answer after all of this time," she replied.

"I'm Hayley Warner," she introduced herself, with an friendly demeanor. "I'm Mr. McMahon's personal secretary."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Please, follow me," Hayley said, leading Ryleigh up a large staircase to the second floor.

After a few moments of idle chatter between the two women, they approached a door, which was quickly opened. Ryleigh and Hayley walked over to it. Ryleigh made her way inside and saw Vince, who had clearly been waiting for her arrival. "Ryleigh! What a pleasure it is to you see again!" Vince greeted her, walking over to her, as they exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek.

"It's so great to see you again," she greeted him, as Hayley left the office, closing the door behind herself.

"Please take a seat. Would you like something to drink? A water, Coke, coffee? Anything? Or something to eat? We can get anything you'd like," he offered her, taking a seat behind his desk.

"Oh no thank you," she replied, as she sat in a large leather chair situated in front of his desk.

"I was so surprised to receive your phone call," he told her.

"Well, after our last meeting, I did a lot of thinking about the offer you made me. You know that I've loved this company for practically my entire life, but my fiancée was dead set on not letting me sign on. But he also doesn't know that I'm here…"

"I did hear about your engagement. I do believe congratulations are in order," Vince spoke with a nod. "Though, I'm guessing that you've come here to inform me that you've decided to not sign." His disappointment was evident in his voice.

"Actually, it's quite the contrary. I came here because I do want to sign on with the WWE."

"Really?" he asked, furrowing his brow. "But I thought you just said that your fiancée didn't want you to sign."

"He doesn't. But he also doesn't know that I'm here. I want to sign, and that's what I came here to do."

"Are you sure that you really want to do this?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, then." Vince pulled her contract out of the file cabinet next to his desk. "Did you go over the contract that I gave you?"

"I did. And I really appreciate everything that you've included in it."

"I know that you're a huge name. I mean, you're one of the most famous people in the entire world. I tried to include everything that I could possible think of to entice you to sign with us. And, of course, we'll work around your modeling schedule, as well as any movies you make, television appearances that you have to film, all of your commitments will be included when making your schedule. We're going to be very flexible with your schedule. We certainly don't want to hinder the career you've already built for yourself, though we do have to include the ninety-day No Compete Clause that we have in every contract. It only applies to wrestling, though."

"And that is more than fine for me."

"And in it, we don't specify exactly what your role is. You are so far on as a manager/valet type role. However, we can change that to have you wrestling, if you'd like. The plan is to almost have you as a General Manager character for the time being, though you won't be the general manager, as of yet. We're still working on that storyline. But you will be all over the place, commentating, valeting, managing, instigating. If you want to train, we can absolutely arrange that while we're on the road. I'm sure everyone will be more than willing to help you out with all of that, and we can have our trainers work with you, while we're traveling. I promise, it's going to be a lot of fun for you."

"Oh, I trust you there."

"Is there anything else you wanted to negotiate?" he asked her.

"Nope. I mean, you've offered me everything I could possibly want. I'm grateful for the opportunity at all," she told him with a laugh.

Vince smiled. "Well, I'm really happy that you want to join."

"This is something I've always wanted. I know there's so much I've done and so much more I want to do, but ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a wrestler. I've always been a fan."

"I'm glad I could help you, in that case."

"So am I."

Vince handed her a copy of the contract he had already given to her, along with a pen. "We won't hinder your career, as it is. Whenever you need time off or anything, please, just say the word, and it'll be taken care of."

Ryleigh smiled and nodded, as she signed her name in all of the required places, before handing the contract back to her new boss.

"All signed," she said, a satisfied, excited smile on her face.

"Well, welcome aboard," he said, smiling, as well. This had been the moment that he had hoped for, though he truly believed that it would never happen. But there it was in black and white. Ryleigh Denning was an employee of the WWE, and neither Vince nor Ryleigh could be happier about it.

"Thank you, boss."

"Thank you for signing on. I honestly didn't think that you would do it with everything you have going for you, as it is," he admitted.

"I think that this will be a nice change for me."

"Your fiancée is probably going to be very unhappy, if he didn't want you to sign in the first place."

Ryleigh shrugged. "To be honest, that's really his problem to deal with, not mine. This is something that I really want to do, and he's just gonna have to deal with it. It makes me happy, and I want this."

Vince smiled. "I'm really happy that you're here. And I'm sure everyone else is going to be happy when they find out. You were very popular with everyone when you were on Monday Night Raw."

"I can't wait for everyone to find out," she admitted with a smile on her face.

"Me neither."

* * *

As Ryleigh pulled into her driveway, she felt nervous. She had to tell George that she signed the contract. She knew very well that it wasn't going to be the pleasant conversation that she wished it to be. But she was happy with her decision. She needed to share her good news with someone. So, before getting reamed out by George, as she was sure she would, she decided that she would call Stu and tell him of her decision. Ryleigh was pretty sure that he would be happy with her decision.

Once she got out of her car and made her way into her house, Ryleigh put her bag on the coffee table and pulled out her Blackberry. She quickly pulled up Stu's number in her contacts and called him.

"Hello?" he answered on the second ring.

"Hi. Stu?"

"Yeah…Ryleigh?"

"It's me."

"How are you?"

"Great. How are you doing?"

"Good. Good. I'm surprised to hear from you," he admitted.

"Well, I had some news that I wanted to share with someone, and I was thinking that I could share it with you," she told him.

"Oh? And what's that?" he curiously asked.

"So, I met with Vince today…I took a plane to Connecticut."

"And…?" he anticipated her announcement.

"I signed," she told him.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. Stu could not believe his luck. He would be working with Ryleigh. This was awesome.

"Yeah. I haven't told anyone yet. Not even George, but I wanted to tell someone who would be happy before I got bitched at for doing it," she explained.

"He doesn't know?"

"Not yet…"

"Oh, Ryleigh. That's not going to be a fun discussion," he groaned, knowing that she was in for quite a bit of trouble.

"Definitely not."

"Why didn't you tell him before you did it?"

"Because he'd convince me to not do it, and I really want to do this. So, I figured if I signed and then told him, he'd have to deal with it."

"Cunning. I like it."

Ryleigh laughed. "I tried to be smart about it. I know I'm gonna have hell to pay, but it's okay. It'll be worth it."

"Well, good luck with that. I personally think you made the right decision," he told her. Stu had to control his excitement, but he was elated to hear the good news.

"Thanks, Stu."

"So, when is your first appearance with the WWE?" he asked.

"Monday. I'll be flying to Minneapolis for the show," she replied. "I really can't wait for it to come."

"Are you continuing the storyline with Randy, John and myself?"

"As far as I know, yeah."

"That's so great. And we'll be able to hang out again."

"I know. I'm so excited," she told him. "We're gonna have so much fun." She had a huge smile on her face.

"Definitely. Out of curiosity, do you know if you're going to be wrestling at all?" he asked her.

"Vince and I discussed it a bit. I'll work on getting trained some more, while we're on the road, and maybe in the future I'll see some in-ring action."

"That's really incredible. I'll help train you, if you'd like, when we get some free time. And I'm sure that we'll have plenty of it," he volunteered.

"Aw thanks. That'd be awesome."

"Yeah. You're probably really great as it is. At least from what I've heard around the rumor mill, you are."

Ryleigh blushed, grateful that Stu couldn't see that. "I'm not that good…but I'm sure if you help me, I could be decent."

"I'll do my best."

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you on Monday night," she said without thinking. She was on shaky ground by flirting with him. After all, Ryleigh was still very much engaged to George.

"Me, too. It's a lot more fun when you're around to hang out. You're really fun to be with."

"Aw thanks. I have a lot of fun with you, too." She paused. It was a little awkward between the two. "Alright, well I'm gonna go tell George the good news," she said, not wanting to get off of the phone already, but she knew that she had to talk to George about what she did, even if she didn't want to.

"Okay. Well, good luck, Ryleigh."

She laughed. "Thanks. I'm gonna need it."

"Of course, sweetheart. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Bye Stu."

"Goodbye, Ryleigh."

The hung up. Ryleigh sighed. She was really feeling her crush on Stu big time, especially when she was flirting with him on the phone. She had the faint fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. She put her phone down and sat on the couch, chewing on her lower lip. She was most excited about the fact that she would be seeing him in a couple of days at the Raw taping. Of course, before she made it there, she'd have to face George and tell him what she went behind his back and did. She wished she could fast forward her life, so she didn't have to deal with his reaction.

Ryleigh picked up her phone and called the world's greatest fiancée…note the sarcasm. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"What?" he greeted.

"Where are you?"

"What's it to you?"

"I wanna talk…"

"I'm home."

"Okay. I'm gonna come by, okay?"

"Whatever," he muttered, before hanging up on her. She quickly blinked away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. This was going to be so much worse than she expected it to be. If he was already being cold towards her, then, he was only going to get more pissed off, when he found out what she did.

* * *

Ryleigh sat on the couch across from George. He was glaring at her, still angry at her from their fight days earlier. He didn't seem to care if he hurt her by getting physical. He was still furious with her.

"I need to talk to you about something really important," she began, her voice meek and afraid of what was to come.

"So, talk," she flatly spoke.

She was becoming more nervous with each passing second. "Well, I spoke to Vince today…"

He rolled his eyes. "And…?"

"I actually…I didn't just speak to him. I flew to Connecticut to meet with him," she corrected herself, not wanting to hold anything back.

"I sure as fuck hope that you didn't go ahead and do anything stupid," he warned her, shaking his head.

"I signed the contract," Ryleigh finally told him, her eyes staring down at the floor, afraid to look up at her future husband. There was complete silence between the two, and she was refusing to meet his eyes with her own. She was more than positive that she was in for the argument of her life.

"Please tell me that you're kidding, just to be a bitch," he finally spoke. She remained silent. "Look at me," he spoke, through gritted teeth.

Ryleigh slowly, reluctantly looked up at him, not wanting to see the anger that she knew was residing in his eyes. "I'm not kidding, George. I flew to Connecticut, met with Vince and signed the contract," she told him, her voice low.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you stupid?" he asked her, raising his voice, as the rage coursed through his veins.

"No…" Her eyes returned to the floor. George stood up and walked over to her. He yanked Ryleigh up by her arm, standing her up in front of him. He grabbed her face with one hand, forcing her to look at him, while the other still had a fairly strong grasp on her arm, which was hurting her.

"Tell me, Ryleigh, what the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled at her. "I told you not to do it, and you went ahead and did it anyway!"

"I'm sorry, but-"

"I don't fucking care if you're sorry, you little bitch. You ignored what I fucking told you. I'm your fucking fiancée! You listen to me, you got that? If I tell you to do or not to do something, you listen to me," he demanded, as he was in her face.

"You're hurting me," she told him, as he had a rough grip on her arm.

"I don't care," he spoke, his voice full of rage. Now, she wasn't nervous. She was terrified of what he was going to do to her.

Her hands were desperately trying to pry his arms off of her and push him away. He pushed her back by her face, so hard, that before she fell into a seated position on the couch, her head hit the wall behind the couch. She immediately brought her hand to the back of her head, as it had hurt her.

"You're so fucking stupid," he growled.

"George, I-"

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! Don't you dare speak to me. You don't deserve to talk to me. You fucked up, Ryleigh. You fucked this up big time," George sneered at her. "Did you just want to give yourself another chance to fuck around with your little boyfriend again?" he yelled.

"What?" she asked, confused as to what he was talking about.

"That fucking British asshole that you're all obsessed with!" he yelled. "Who the fuck else do you think I'm talking about?"

"Stu? George, I don't want to be with him. I only wanna be with you," she tried reassuring him.

"You're nothing but a liar and a slut." His eyes burned into her with disdain. She tried to hold her emotions back.

Ryleigh stood up. "George…" She walked over to him and brought her hands onto his arm, gently. He slapped her hand away.

"Don't fucking touch me!" he yelled at her.

"Please, just-"

"Shut up!"

"I-"

"Are you deaf? Shut the fuck up, Ryleigh!"

Ryleigh shut up. He paced the room, as he just became angrier with each passing second. She was getting more nervous, as she just stood there, waiting for anything to happen. Finally, he stood in front of her.

"Do you think that you're funny or something?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Do you think that this entire situation is funny at all?"

"No."

"I told you not to sign that contract," George said. "So what the fuck possessed you to do it anyway?"

"I just wanted to…" she answered, knowing that it wasn't the answer that he wanted to hear.

"So because it's what you want, you can just ignore what I tell you?" She didn't answer his question. George pulled her closer to him, by her already hurting arm. "I asked you a fucking question. Answer me!"

"I wasn't doing it to ignore you," she told him.

George pushed her back. "You stupid bitch," he growled at her.

"Please don't call me names like that," she finally spoke up in her own defense. She didn't appreciate being spoken to like she was a piece of trash.

"Excuse me? I'll call you whatever the fuck I want to!" he shot back.

"I'm gonna go," she said, grabbing her bag and walking towards the door.

"You're not going anywhere," he spoke, knocking her back against the wall. His hands were holding her shoulders against the surface of the wall. "I'm not done with you yet." His tone made her cringe.

"I don't want to fight with you," she said, softly.

"Well, Ryleigh, if you didn't want to fight with me, you wouldn't have gone ahead and done what I told you not to do."

"George, please stop doing this. You're really hurting me. Just…just stop it already," she begged him.

"You think I'm hurting you now? Because trust me, you haven't felt anything yet," he warned her.

"George!" she cried, as the tears finally began falling down her face. "Please, stop doing this."

There was a knock on the front door. George didn't move for a few moments. "You just got really fucking lucky," he sneered, letting her go momentarily. As soon as she moved away from the wall, George turned around and slapped her across the face.

Ryleigh brought her hand to her cheek, in complete shock. He eyed her angrily. George finally opened the door. "Yo man, what's up?" the familiar voice of Tony Lovato greeted him, as if nothing was at all wrong.

"Hey Tone," George greeted his friend, his tone upbeat, sounding nothing like he had seconds earlier with his fiancée.

Tony walked inside. "Well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in the world," he greeted, running over and pulling Ryleigh into his arms.

"Hi," she softly greeted.

When Tony pulled away from her, he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, along with the red handprint on the left side of her face. "Ry…what happened?" he asked, as she tried to cover the handprint with her hand. Tony looked concerned.

"I'm fine. Nothing happened. How are you, Tone?"

"I'm…okay…" He was confused as to what was going on.

"Good. It's nice to see you."

"You, too, babe."

George walked over and pulled Ryleigh into his arms, pretending to care about her in front of his visitor. She flinched at his touch. Tony noticed this and started getting pissed off. He was pretty sure that the handprint on her face was none other than George's. "You hanging out with us, babe?" he asked her.

"Um…I think I'm gonna go home," she answered, get eyes staring intently at the floor beneath her.

"Okay," he said. "I'll talk to you later, then."

"Okay. Have fun. Bye Tony," she said, grabbing her bag.

George pulled her into his arms again, as her body tensed up. He looked at her affectionately, though, she knew it was all for show. "Are you okay?" he asked her, his eyes burning into her.

"I'm fine. I love you," she meekly spoke.

"I love you, too," he reciprocated and kissed her. It felt forced, just to let Tony think that everyone was a-okay, while the air remained tense, and it was very 'daddy hit mommy at the dinner table', and Tony was well aware of that.

Ryleigh gave Tony a quick hug, before mumbling a goodbye and leaving the apartment. As she made her way out of the building, she felt the tears continuing to fall out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Her cheek was still stinging where he had hit her. She was in shock, and the worst part of this was that she didn't have anyone that she could talk to about anything she'd been going through with him.

Ryleigh was embarrassed that Tony had seen her crying like that. He was a really good guy. She had known him for a couple of years, seeing as Tony's best friend was Benji Madden of Good Charlotte fame. She had known Benji quite well because his twin brother was Joel Madden, and he was engaged to Nicole Richie, who Ryleigh had known since she first started modeling.

Tony had been very close friends with the entire Hollywood Undead crew, but he, as well as the other guys that were in the group, were nothing like George. They were really sweet and protective of Ryleigh. She had planned on apologizing to Tony the next time that she spoke to or saw him.

Until then, Ryleigh made her way to her house, trying to control the tears that were pouring down her face, as she drove, opting to save her sobbing until she was home and safe. She had never considered George to be abusive, regardless of how he treated her. But this was a whole new ballgame he started by slapping her. And this was one game she was definitely not going to be playing with him.

* * *

Stu was beyond excited. He couldn't believe that Ryleigh was now his co-worker. He was going to be seeing her so much more. This was a very good thing. Maybe George would be so pissed off that he'd end up putting an end to their engagement. Then again, he didn't want Ryleigh to be upset, but at the same time, George didn't deserve her. He didn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated.

"So, did you hear the good news?" David asked, walking into catering and spotting his friend.

Stu smirked. "Yes, I did," he replied.

"I heard the good news when Jen called me earlier and told me, after she spoke to Ryleigh," he said, sitting next to Stu.

"It's pretty exciting."

"You must be pretty happy about this."

"Yeah, I mean, I'm friends with her, so it'll be nice to see her and hang out and all, again," he tried to cover his crush, though he knew Dave knew about it.

"And maybe you're looking forward to her being around because of your crush…" he said, lowering his voice.

Stu rolled his eyes. "Listen, Ryleigh has a fiancée," he pointed out. "There's no chance of anything happening between us.

"Bullshit. There's a very good chance. George treats her like shit. Everyone knows that. I think she's gonna see that once she spends more time with you, and you treat her right," he assured his friend.

"I doubt that's gonna happen," Stu said, shaking his head.

"I don't. I'm telling you, if you play your cards right, you have a very good chance of making things happen," David told him. "Seriously."

Stu shrugged. "I'm not trying to cause problems for her. If she wants to be with George, I can't force her to be with me, if she's in love with someone else."

"I think that she loves him, but I'm not so sure that she's actually in love with him," Dave pointed out.

"Well, whatever happens, happens."

His friend smirked. "Sure."

"Ryleigh, what is wrong with you?" Justin pressed his best friend, as they entered the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

"Nothing," she softly replied. Ever since she had signed with the WWE, there was something off with her. And it was bothering the hell out of Justin.

"You're a liar. I wish that you would just talk to me," he spoke, clearly bothered by her silence.

"You don't have anything to worry about," she tried to reassure him, but he knew much better than that.

The two signed in with the security team at the arena and made their way to the designated dressing room. Ryleigh immediately sat down on the couch. She hadn't spoken to George for the past four days already, since their last fight that Tony had interrupted. She had called him repeatedly, but he hadn't answered any of her calls. Ryleigh left him voice messages, begging him to come to the show. But she'd received no response from her oh-so-loving future husband, and that hurt her deeply.

"Have you heard from George?" she asked, her words full of distress. That bother Justin a lot.

"Not yet, but I'm sure that he'll show up, muffin," he replied, trying to sound upbeat and positive, though he was sure it was falling on deaf ears.

"Do you really think so?" Ryleigh asked, her voice hopeful.

Justin gave her a smile. "I do."

"He was just so mad at me when I told him that I signed the contract," she admitted, her eyes avoiding her best friend's.

"How mad?" he curiously asked, feeling the worry for his longtime best friend begin running through his body.

"He flipped out. He was screaming at me…"

"Ryleigh, did-" There was a knock on the door, which quickly opened.

"Ryleigh! It's so great to you!" Vince greeted his newest employee, as he walked into the room and giving her a hug. "And Justin, very much a pleasure to see you, as well," he said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks, Vince," she said. "I'm happy to be here."

"As am I," Justin agreed.

Vince smiled. "Stu Bennett and Randy Orton are going to be stopping in shortly to discuss the plans for tonight with you. Sound good?"

"Absolutely," she agreed.

"Great. If you need anything, I'll be around the arena. You have my cell phone number, right?"

"Yes," she replied with a forced smile.

"Okay. Make sure that you use it if you need me for anything at all. I'll be seeing you shortly."

"Thanks, Vince." He left her dressing room with a smile and a nod.

"Are you gonna speak up, yet, Ry? Because you're really scaring me now with this whole not being yourself thing."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," she brushed him off. "I have to change." Ryleigh opened up her bag and pulled out the outfit she had planned to wear at the taping tonight. She quickly changed into it, while Justin stood there with his hands on his hips, waiting for her to open up to him.

When she was fully dressed, she had on a pair of skinny jeans that were practically painted on her, along with a low-cut, ivory colored tunic tank top. She had on a pair of black knee-high, high-heeled boots.

"Well, you look beautiful," he spoke.

"Thanks," she replied, examining her outfit in the mirror.

"You're gonna have to talk about what's going on with you eventually," he tried to coax her.

"There's nothing going on," she denied.

"Liar."

"Stop it, Just."

He huffed. "If George the douche did something to you, I hope you would tell me," he finally voiced what his true concern was.

She rolled her eyes at him. "He didn't do anything to me," she lied, though she wasn't happy about it. He knew, though. Justin could always tell when Ryleigh was lying to him. It made his blood boil to think that George had done something to her, and she was too afraid to talk to him about it. It was one thing to act like an asshole. It was a whole other thing to have your girlfriend acting like this. Justin was determined to fix this. He just had to figure out the right way to go about it.

Stu felt his nerves trying to get the best of him. As he stood outside of Ryleigh's dressing room door. He took a deep breath and finally knocked.

"Come in!" he heard from the other side. That was Ryleigh's voice. It made his heart beat faster than it already was. He couldn't wait to see her. Stu quickly turned the knob and opened the door. He walked in.

"Stu! Hi!" she greeted. Justin was happy to finally see a genuinely happy smile on her face for the first time in a long time.

He walked over to her and hugged her. "Hey Ry," he spoke. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I've missed you," she softly spoke.

"I've missed you, too, sweetheart," he reciprocated, before pulling away. Stu's heart was racing in his chest. He was so hooked on her right now that it wasn't even funny. In fact, it was driving him crazy.

"How are you?"

"Good. And how are you?"

"I'm okay." Stu could see right through her, and he eyed her suspiciously. "Really," she insisted.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, as there was another knock on her door. "Come in," Justin called.

The door opened, and Randy Orton walked in, shutting the door behind himself. He smiled at the group before him.

"Hi Randy," she greeted.

"Hi," he greeted, walking over and giving Ryleigh a hug. "It's really nice to have you back here."

"It's nice to finally be back," she told him.

"Yeah. She needs to be here," Justin spoke. "It gets her in a good mood, and George the douche hates it." A smirk was on his face.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "Oh God."

Stu tried to hide his smirk from her. He agreed with Justin's nickname of her douche bag fiancée.

"So, we have a lot to discuss, don't we?" Randy asked.

"Yup. Absolutely," she agreed.

"Are you excited?" Justin asked her, a huge smile on his face. He wanted her to be here because he knew that this was what made her happy.

"I am," she answered with her own smile.

* * *

Ryleigh was backstage, still in her dressing room. She, Randy and Stu had already discussed their plans for the evening's show. They had cheered her up a bit. But she was still really upset that George hadn't shown up. She checked her Blackberry every couple of minutes, hoping that there would be a missed call or a text message or something from him. But there was nothing.

There was a knock on the door. She kept her eyes on the floor and opened it. "Hey," she greeted, as she lifted her head and found herself looking at her fiancée. A huge smile crossed her features. "Oh my God! George!" she wrapped her arms around him. He shrugged her off of him and walked into the dressing room. She shut the door and turned back to face him.

"You needed me to come here. I'm here. Now, what the fuck do you want from me?" George asked her.

"I've missed you," she told him.

"I bet."

"Why are you still so mad at me?" she asked.

"You went behind my back and signed the fucking contract, when you knew damn well that I didn't want you to do that," he replied to her.

"I just-"

"I really don't want to hear your bullshit excuses," he quickly shot back. "You're a selfish bitch."

"I'm sorry, George," she apologized, giving in.

"No. You're not sorry," he snapped.

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry that you're mad. I just…I love you, and I don't want to fight with you. Please, let's just get along, please. I want tonight to be a good night," she begged him. "Please?" It took all she had to hold her tears back. She hadn't been much of a crier, but George seemed to bring the tears right out of her.

He shook his head. "You're just so fucking stupid," he breathed. "I can't believe that I actually flew all the way over here for you."

"George, why do you hate me so much?" she asked, finally allowing her tears to overflow and spill down her cheeks.

"Ryleigh, why the fuck do you have to cry over every little fucking thing?" he retorted, mockingly.

"Because you're just being nasty to me," she replied. She placed her hands on his chest. "Can't you pretend to love me and be supportive of me for just five minutes?"

"And why the fuck would I do that for you? You obviously don't love me at all. So, why should I bother?"

"George, I love you so much," she reassured him. "You're the love of my life. I love you more than anything."

"Then, why are we even here? If you loved me as much as you say you do, you wouldn't have signed the contract."

"If you loved me, you would want me to do what makes me happy, and this makes me happy," she explained, her voice shaking, as she cried.

"Whatever." He stepped away from her.

"Please, George. This is a really big night for me. I want my fiancée to show a little bit of enthusiasm."

He rolled his eyes. "This is so fucking stupid, Ry," he groaned.

"No, it isn't. I love you, and I want you to be happy for me," she told him.

"Well, I'm not. So you can fucking deal with that."

Ryleigh sat on the couch, resting her elbows on her knees, with her face in her hands, allowed her tears to continuing falling.

"I'm not dealing with this!" he yelled.

The dressing room door opened, and Stu stood there. "Oh. George. Hello. How are you?" he greeted.

George looked over at him and gave him a nod. "Oh, I'm just wonderful," he muttered. "Ryleigh, I'm leaving. Have fun. I hope it's worth it," George sneered, before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Stu noticed Ryleigh trying to hide her tears. He sat down next to her. "Sweetheart, Ryleigh, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice caring and soothing. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him.

"It's nothing," she softly spoke, as the tears continued pouring out of her eyes and cascading down her face.

"Now, please explain to me how nothing can make such a beautiful woman like you so upset that you're sitting here, crying."

"It's stupid," she said, shaking her head.

"Love, if it's something that has you this upset, than, clearly it isn't stupid," he told her. "Honestly."

"He's just so mad at me…"

"Why? I mean, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to…"

"He…well, we haven't spoken since the day that I signed. He's just so pissed off at me. And I begged him to come here and be with me, but all he did was…he just…he made me feel so bad."

"But if he loves you, and this makes you happy, then, why isn't he being supportive of you?"

"I asked him that. He just gave me an attitude and didn't give me an answer. I know he told me not to sign with the company…but I had to do it…for me."

"As you should have."

She shook her head. "Stu, I love him, but I just don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I fell…I dunno…we haven't gotten along since the day he came to my house and caught me reading Vince's contract. He hates me."

"Ryleigh, it's impossible to hate you."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Do you regret signing?"

"No…"

"Then, look at me." She sat up and looked at him.

"I must look so awful…"

He gave her a small smile. "No. I think you look absolutely beautiful," he said and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. "Now, give me a smile," he instructed her.

Ryleigh gave him an obviously fake smile.

Stu laughed. "Oh, gee. Thanks for that," he spoke. "Come on, future WWE Diva's Champion. Give me a real smile." She gave him a genuine smile, as his words actually helped her feel slightly better. And she appreciated his efforts greatly. "There we go. That's a beautiful smile. With a smile like that, there's no reason for you to ever not smile. Now, we're going to have so much fun tonight. I mean, you're going to make me fall flat on my face in front of millions of people." She giggled. "Wow. I'm impressed with myself."

"Why are you always being so sweet to me?" she asked.

"Because you don't deserve to ever be upset. You're too beautiful and sweet and wonderful to be upset and crying, especially over someone who clearly doesn't appreciate you the way that he should," he spoke.

Ryleigh leaned in and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling himself overcome with happiness for the moment. This was definitely the woman that he wanted, without a doubt. And it hurt him to see her so upset over George the douche. This guy needed a reality check.

"I'm going to make sure that you're first night with the company is a really great one," he told her. "I promise, okay?"

She nodded. "Stu, you're such a great guy. Your girlfriend is a very, very lucky lady, you know."

"Thanks, but I don't have a girlfriend, love," he corrected her. "I'm very much a single man."

"Oh…sorry."

"No, it's okay."

Ryleigh pulled back. "Well, I'm a very lucky lady to have you here as my friend," she said.

"And I'm very lucky to call you my friend. And I'm going to prove to you that I'm a good friend, by giving you the best WWE inaugural night, ever."

Ryleigh smiled, as Stu had made her tears stop. She was really crushing on him right now. He was her knight in shining armor. He could always fix her when she was upset over George. Honestly, just the thought of the British professional wrestler could put a smile on her face. And she knew that he was going to make sure that she had the best night he could possible give her.

Truth be told, Stu had a way of making her forget all about George and her problems with him. No one could seem to do that, and he made her so happy. It made her think that maybe Justin was right. Maybe she did belong with Stu…

Well, for now, she was just going to worry about her friendship with him. If anything was meant to happen, it would happen in its own way, in due time. She was just going to enjoy things the way they were for the time being.


	6. Chapter 6

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin :o**

* * *

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. You guys know you're the best, and I love you all. Thanks for the well wishes. I'm all healed up, and my stitches are gone, so I'm back to normal...aside from the fact that every shift I work until Christmas Eve is 3:30 PM to midnight (no bueno). Other than that, I promise, I'm working on all of my stories, so that I can update for you guys as soon as I possibly can :o) Love you all! XoXoXoXo**

* * *

During Raw, Ryleigh mostly sat in the back and watched the show. She wasn't supposed to be making her entrance until the main event, which was Randy Orton against Wade Barrett. Her cue was towards the end of the match, when she would be interfering with the in-ring action. But she was definitely enjoying being able to watch the show in the same place where all of the action was going on.

Ryleigh kept her eye on the clock, waiting almost impatiently for her turn to run out to the ring. She was both excited and nervous to make her first appearance as an official member of the WWE's Raw roster.

"Knock. Knock," came the voice from the door. She turned to see Justin standing by the doorway with a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey babe. Where've you been?" she asked.

"Around. Hanging out. The usual."

She smiled. "Oh really?"

"I heard precious was here," he spoke. "Well, actually, I ran into Stu, and he told me about it."

"Oh…"

"And the asshole made you cry…"

Ryleigh shrugged. "I get overemotional sometimes."

"Not really. He's an asshole. He does whatever he can to hurt you and make you cry," Justin said.

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Well, to me, it's a huge deal."

"Just…"

"Ryleigh, I'm serious. I don't like hearing that George the douche made you cry. That's not okay."

"Relax."

"Is he still here?"

"I dunno. He left my room when Stu came in."

"Good. So, he knows that Stu and you have a thing going on, right?" Justin questioned, with a grin.

"We don't have a thing."

"Bullshit. You two are in love."

"No. We're just friends."

"When do you go out?"

"In like twenty or so minutes. I have to go out during Stu and Randy's match," she told him.

"Oh. That's pretty cool. Are you excited?"

"Yup."

"Are you impressed that I managed to chance the subject so seamlessly?" he questioned with a smile.

"As always you are quite impressive, Justin."

"Well, on a much more serious note that I know you don't want to get into but will anyway, you know that it's not okay for him to come here and ruin this night for you, right? He's supposed to come here, and regardless of how pissed off he is about the decision you made, he should be telling you how happy he is that you're doing something you've always aspired to do. You're supposed to know that you can turn to your fiancée, and he'll be there to encourage you and tell him how proud he is, even if it's not something he agrees with. He shouldn't come in here and make you feel bad and make you cry. That's just wrong on so many level, especially if you're supposed to marry the son of a bitch. Stu would never do that to you, you know," Justin lectured her.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "You have to stop with this whole Stu thing. We're not together. We're not going to be together. I'm engaged. That means I'm going to spend the rest of my life with someone else."

"Ry, I love you so much. You know that I do, and you know that I support you no matter what it is that you do. You could do anything, even something that could make the entire world despise you, and I'll still be on your side. Like even if you killed someone just because you felt like it, I would hide the body and alibi you. I would never discourage you from doing something that makes you happy. Ever. You know I will always feel that way about you. The problem is that you're planning on marrying someone who doesn't feel that same way…not by a long shot. And that's not okay. Trust me, if I was straight, I would force you to marry me. We're soul mates. But, then again, I am gay, and we're gonna be spending the rest of our lives together anyway. Just please don't let him treat you this way because when I see you're upset, and I know you're unhappy, it hurts me really badly. And we know that I don't react to being upset very well," he tried to reason with her.

"Listen, I appreciate the fact that you're on my side, and it means a lot to me that you love me so much, and you know that I love you, too, but at the same time, I love George so much, and I want to be with him. Even though we're back into our rough patch, it doesn't mean that I'm just gonna leave him because of another fight. We just need some time to fix things again. We'll be okay. Things will be great between the two of us again. Just relax, okay?" she tried to convince him.

But it wasn't working. "I'm really worried about you. He's not a good person. That's the vibe I get from him, and my vibes are usually right. You know that. Ry, you deserve someone who is gonna accept everything about you and love you unconditionally. And I really don't think George is that person. He's always trying to knock you down a few pegs because he's jealous of how successful you are."

"He's successful."

"Not as nearly as successful as you. You're one of the biggest names in the entire world. You're way, way above him, muffin. Let's be fair, you're way above the majority if people in the world, all things considered. I don't want him to bring you down because you're so much better than that bullshit," Justin told her. "I know you're gonna do whatever you want to do, and you know regardless of what happens, I'll support you, but don't lose yourself because he's a hater, alright?"

Ryleigh smiled at him. "I love you, Justy Cakes. You're the best friend I could ever want."

Justin pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "You're my bitch, you know? And I want us to always be each other's bitches."

"That'll never change."

He smiled. "You know, I just want you to have a happy life. You don't need to have George the douche bringing you down all of the time."

"Can we just not talk about him right now? I really don't want to think about what happened between us. It was…it was stupid. Shit. I have to get out to the Gorilla position, babe."

"Alright. I'll be watching from back here. Have fun. Be beautiful, as always. And if you happen to make a move or two on Stu, I won't exactly have a problem with that," he continued encouraging her to be with Stu.

Ryleigh laughed at his determination. "You're such a dick when you want to be." She placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek, before leaving her dressing room and making her way towards the Gorilla position to get out there and make something of herself in the world of professional wrestling.

"You ready for this, Ryleigh?" Vince McMahon asked, as she walked over to her designated waiting area. It was only a couple of minutes before she was set to run out and make an impact on the WWE Universe, for the second time.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I'm excited. I'm actually getting involved in a match this time. I can't wait," she replied.

"You'll be great out there."

"Thanks. I hope so."

"Alright, sweetheart," Pat Patterson spoke up. "It's almost time for you to run out." She turned to the WWE Hall of Famer and smiled.

"Thank you," she sweetly said.

"Of course." She waited until Pat finally told her it was time to go. And when he did, she was overcome with excitement and adrenaline. She was about to make her dreams come true, and she didn't care who had a problem with it.

* * *

**Ryleigh confidently walked down the steel ramp, keeping some speed in her step, while Wade Barrett was bracing himself in the corner of the ring, as he had managed to knock Randy out, along with the referee, who was laying on the floor outside of the ring. Seeing as Wade had taken quite a beating, he was still trying to regain some of his composure and hadn't noticed Ryleigh's presence yet. The fans were cheering, happy to see one of the best guest stars the WWE had ever seen had returned. No one had any clue that she was signed, and no one knew that she was going to be on the show that evening. The surprise of her appearance was one of the best parts of it.**

**As she approached the corner of the ring, behind Wade, whose back had been to the ramp the entire time she was making her way towards him, a look of anger overtook her flawless features. She was a woman on a mission. Ryleigh reached under the bottom rope, grabbing Wade's ankles and she pulled his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall face first into the mat. The crowd cheered loudly for her. She wanted to smile, though she was a great actress and didn't let her facial expressions give away her complete and utter excitement. She was supposed to be a woman on a mission, and that's just what she was pulling off with great ease.**

**Ryleigh climbed up the metal steps and made her way into the ring, ducking underneath the top rope. Seeing as the ref was still out cold and outside of the ring, she had free range to do whatever it was she needed to ensure that Randy would come out victorious in this match. She glared down at Wade and kneeled down in from of him. She roughly grabbed him by his hair, lifted his face up from the mat and punched him square in the jaw, as the crowd continued cheering for her. She stood up, with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. She quickly climbed out of the ring, grabbed a chair from underneath the apron and climbed back in, holding onto her newly acquired weapon. She powerfully slammed it across Wade's back, causing him be knocked out cold. She hit him two more times across the back with the chair, before tossing it out of the ring.**

**At this point, Randy managed to get up and gave her a nod, as Ryleigh climbed back out of the ring, allowing Randy to pull him into the center of the ring and pin Wade, as Ryleigh managed to get the match's referee, Mike Chioda, back into the ring and count one, two, three. The bell rang, and Randy was declared the winner of the match. Wade was still out from the blows he took to the back with the chair. Ryleigh climbed into the ring and raised Randy's arm up, victoriously. As the current WWE champion climbed on the ropes in the corner of the ring and lifted his belt in the air, as the thousands of fans cheered his praises, Ryleigh got herself a microphone.**

**Once Randy's victory celebration was nearly over, and Wade was finally coming to, she finally spoke into the mic. "Wade. Wade. Wade. It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked, taunting him. He looked up at her in disbelief. "Well, I've got some news for you. You made me so sick to my stomach with your whining and pretending that you're this incredible wrestler, and acting like you're so important to this company, the last time that I was here, that I knew I just had to do something about it. And Randy and I came up with this great idea," she told him, a devious smirk on her face.**

**Wade finally stood up, his own microphone handed to him from one of the ringside crew members. "And what does the oh-so intimidating Ryleigh Denning think that she is going to be able to do to me?" he asked, a smirk on his face. "Granted, you may have cost me tonight's match, but what else do you think you can possibly do to me?" he asked, walking up to her, staring down into her eyes.**

**Randy stepped up behind her, to make sure that she was protected from the WWE's currently most feared villain. He was holding onto a microphone himself. "You know, Wade, you think that because you have power over John Cena and because you have your little henchmen following you around constantly, that you have control, but the thing is…you're wrong. I'm the one with the WWE Championship. And until you can say that you've held this title, you really can't back up any of your threats and be that intimidating about it," Randy spoke, his voice calm yet cold and calculating.**

**"Listen here, Orton, the only reason I don't have that title is because John Cena got involved in our business and got himself fired."**

**"Or because you just aren't good enough to win it," Ryleigh quipped, raising an eyebrow at the man standing over her.**

**He laughed at her. "You're not scaring me at all, darling, though I can tell you are trying very hard."**

**"You think what I did tonight is the extent of what I can do to you?" she asked him with a smirk.**

**"I'm sorry what else are you going to do? Yell at me? Hitting me with an object is something anyone can do. You're not the first person, and I'm sure you won't be that last. I'm not afraid of you, Ryleigh," he dismissed her.**

**"It's a really funny thing, actually, Wade. After Ryleigh's last appearance on Raw, we've talked a bit about what we could do. As it turns out, it's one thing for her to want to hang out with her new friends here, but it's a whole other thing for her to come here because she can't stand the sight of your face or the sound of your voice. And that's exactly why she's come back," Randy told him.**

**"Oh, well, now that you bring up the fact that she doesn't like me, I'm absolutely terrified of her," he shot back at her with a roll of his eyes. "Please, don't think that you've actually instilled any fear into me yet."**

**"Well, Wade, prepare to see this face around a lot more…because I had a chat with Vince McMahon, and it ended with me signing a contract. So, you're going to have to deal with me getting involved in your matches and causing whatever possible hell I can for you…because I'm not going anywhere, and you're gonna get what's coming to you…even if I'm the one who has to bring you down."**

**The crowd cheered louder than before upon learning that Ryleigh was now a permanent fixture in the WWE. She gave Wade a satisfied smirk, knowing that he was getting slightly annoyed with her.**

**"Well, then, I'll just have to instruct the rest of the Nexus to be on the lookout for a little girl who is getting in way over her head," Wade said.**

**Ryleigh took a step closer to him. "Oh trust me, I've been hearing that I'm in over my head for much too long to actually care what you think. And trust me, you're going to be very unhappy with what I've got in store for you, pal." She dropped the mic and stared at him, refusing to back down, as the show ended, and the fans excitedly watched the scene unfolding in front of them.**

* * *

As Ryleigh, Stu and Randy made their way backstage, everyone was excitedly waiting for her return. When they were out of sight from the WWE Universe, Stu gave her a huge hug, lifting her up off of her feet. "You were so wonderful out there, Ryleigh," he said, as he held her in his arms.

"Thank you so much," she said, wrapping her arms tightly around him. It didn't matter that he was sweaty. She loved being close to him. It always made her heart skip a beat and the butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"I'm so happy you're going to be here for the long haul. We're going to have such a great time."

When he finally put her down, Randy hugged her, followed by most of the roster with whom she was already acquainted, that was present at the recording. Ryleigh had never been prouder of any accomplishment than she was of this. She was never more positive that she had made the right decision by signing on to be a part of this family. This was her future. And if George had a problem with it, then, he would have to deal with it on his own because she wasn't backing down. She was going all the way with this.

"Ry Ry, I'm so proud of you, pumpkin," Justin said, giving her a hug. She returned the sentiment.

"Thanks, Justy. I was afraid that I was going to look like an idiot out there," she admitted.

"You looked awesome. And let's be honest, you are so hot that I'm sure everyone was totally drooling. I know I was, and I don't even like banging chicks, but I totally wanted to bang the shit out of you."

Ryleigh laughed. "You're such a whore. I love it."

"For you? Of course, mama."

"Hey Ryleigh, you know a bunch of us were thinking about going out tonight and celebrating the show…and we wanted to celebrate gaining a new co-worker," Stu invited. "So, do you two want to come out with us?"

Ryleigh and Justin looked at each other with a smile. "Definitely," she replied for the both of them.

"Awesome. So, we're gonna all gonna go ahead and check into the hotel, shower and change, and then, we're going to meet up in the lobby. Does that work for you?" he asked, trying to mask his excitement. He wasn't sure if she was going to agree to go, but he couldn't have been happier that she would be there.

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied.

"Me, too," Justin agreed.

"Wonderful. We're gonna have a great night," Stu said.

"I know we are."

* * *

"Are you ready yet, Ryleigh?" Justin impatiently asked, tapping his foot outside of the bathroom door in their hotel room.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming, you big baby," she replied, opening the bathroom door and stepping out.

"Whoa." Justin whistled at her. She blushed.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look really hot. Stu is gonna be humping you all night long. I hope you know that," he said, giving her a wink.

"No. You dick. You know it isn't like that with us," she refuted, shaking her head at him. "Stop saying things like that."

"Well, he's gonna be saying a lot with his penis when he sees that tight little dress you've got on," he commented. She had on her black Asymmetrical Ruched Jersey Dress with a pair of black platform pumps. Her hair was down, in loose curls and her make up was absolutely perfect.

"Should I change?" she asked.

"Definitely not. You are looking really hot, Ry. No bullshit. He's gonna want to bang the shit out of you."

"No, he isn't."

"Well, that was a little inaccurate. He wanted to bang the shit out of you anyway, tramp. Stu's got it bad for you."

"Oh my God. Shut the hell up already about it. I'm with George. Stu's penis will be nowhere near me."

"Okay. Whatever you say, bitch. Let's go because I really want to get my drink on, and I definitely want to get my dance on with my favorite little dance whore," he said, giving her a wink and a smirk.

Ryleigh giggled. "I'm gonna leave my phone here. Can you hold my credit card in your pocket?" she asked.

"Let's just use my card."

"No, let's use my black Amex card, please."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Yeah. I called the bar ahead of time and told them that I wanted everyone in my party to be on my card. So, I just have to bring the card, and it will be taken care of," she explained to him.

"Why are you paying for everyone?"

"Because these are my new co-workers, and I want this party to be fun. Besides, I make so much that it doesn't matter. It's not like I spend frivolously, so I might as well go crazy on all my new friends…well…hopefully my new friends."

"You're adorable. Let's go cause some trouble."

"Sounds good."

Ryleigh handed her card to Justin, who put it in his wallet. He also took one of the keycards with him, seeing as they usually left together anyway. The two left their room and walked down the hallway to the elevators. They made their way down to the lobby, where they were excited to meet up with everyone else who was eagerly waiting to begin the evening's festivities.

"Ryleigh!" Stu immediately yelled, as she walked over to everyone. He walked over to her and hugged her. "You look amazing."

"Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself," she said, nodding towards his black pants and dark red button down shirt. She couldn't lie to herself. Ryleigh was very attracted to him, finding it harder and harder to resist him.

"You ready to go?" he asked. Everyone was heading into the hotel bar, which was well-known on its own as a great place to party. And luckily, with the hotel knowing of the plans to have most of the WWE's Raw roster in attendance there, they had been much stricter with who could and couldn't be there, so that there wouldn't be any problems.

* * *

Ryleigh was sitting on a barstool, next to Stu. Her legs were crossed, and she was sipping on her Cosmopolitan. The two had spent the majority of the night together, joking around and hanging out. Justin was watching from afar. He was making friends with the WWE roster on his own. He was more than happy to be seeing those two spending some much needed quality time together.

"I loved those matches," she said. "The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boys had the best TLC matches ever. They were life-changing. I always wanted to be able to do all of that stuff."

"Yeah. Those were incredible. I think you'd be amazing in a TLC match. Of course, I wouldn't be able to watch because I'd probably spend the majority of the time worrying about whether you're actually getting hurt or not," he said with a laugh. It was true. He knew he would never be able to handle seeing her hurt.

"No. I'd be fine."

"Yeah, but I like you. I don't want to see you get hurt. Although, it really would be hot to watch you kicking some arse."

She blushed. "I would love to do that. I love being in the ring. Like tonight, I got such a rush being out there."

"Isn't it the best feeling ever?"

She nodded. "It really is."

"You were so awesome tonight. You're just a natural out there," Stu told her, as he took a sip of his beer.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" an all-too familiar voice yelled from behind her. Ryleigh felt her heart sink upon hearing his voice. She knew that her night was officially going to be ruined.

She turned to face George. "Hey baby," she greeted, forcing a smile, trying to pretend that she was happy to find out he was there.

"Don't give me that. What are you doing here, Ryleigh?" he angrily asked her, stepping up to her.

"After the show everyone decided to come out, and they invited me," she answered him, praying that George wasn't going to embarrass her in front of Stu. That was the last thing she wanted. Tonight was one of the best nights of her life. He already put a damper on things when he made her cry earlier. She really wasn't going to deal with it again, when she was out trying to forget the situation from earlier.

"You didn't ask me if you could go." His eyes were staring at her, as if he wanted to kill her.

"I didn't know that I had to ask permission, considering I'm an adult," she shot back, trying to stick up for herself. She sure as hell wasn't going to let him make her look like some meek little pushover in front of everyone.

There was an angry fire burning in his eyes. "Excuse me? If you're going to be my wife, then, you'll make sure you clear your plans for the night with me, first," he spoke, his words dripping with obvious fury.

"When you go over your plans with me before you go out, that's the day that I'll get your approval for what I'm doing," she said, through gritted teeth. Her defiance was really only pissing George off more.

"Don't be a fucking bitch just to show off in front of all your new friends and your new boyfriend," he snapped. "Don't speak to me like that. Show me a little respect, once in a while, you got that?"

"I'll give it, when I receive it."

Stu was watching this whole scene and found it much harder to not get up and beat the shit out of George, though he was trying his hardest to not cause more problems for the object of his affection. He was also proud of her for standing up for herself. It didn't seem like something she did often, but regardless he was really happy about the fact that she wasn't letting him push her around right now. Granted, it was probably because she was a little buzzed at this point, but it was still nice to see.

George grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off of the barstool. She stumbled off of it, seeing as she wasn't expecting that. "Don't touch me," she shot, pulling her arm away from him.

"You watch the way you fucking talk to me, Ryleigh!" he yelled at her, though the music was so loud that it didn't garner anyone's attention, other than Stu's and Justin's, the latter was cautiously watching from several feet away.

"Cut it out, George!" she demanded.

"Stop being some whore in a bar and act like you're my fiancée," he spoke, his voice sounding more and more aggressive with each word.

"Stop it," she demanded, feeling both angry and embarrassed. "Don't do this here in front of everyone."

"Why? You don't want everyone to realize what a stupid whore you really are?" he asked.

"No because I don't want everyone to see what an asshole my fiancée really is," she quipped.

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" he demanded.

"I know for a fact that I'm talking to you." She was feeling quite ballsy because she knew that he couldn't do anything to her with everyone in such a close vicinity. The look on Stu's face was one of shock, and she was completely embarrassed that he was witnessing the real George that she had come to know so well in the past few weeks.

George looked like he was about to blow a gasket. He roughly grabbed Ryleigh by her arm. "That's it. We're leaving," he spoke firmly.

Stu didn't want to get involved in this because it wasn't his relationship to butt into, but this guy was clearly taking things a little too far by grabbing her the way that he had. Violence towards women was something that was definitely not okay with him, and he wasn't going to let anything escalate the way it was clearly about to. So, he stood up. "Excuse me, I don't think Ryleigh's actually ready to leave just yet," he spoke up.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I know you're trying to bang her, but Ryleigh's my fiancée, so just back the fuck off," George yelled.

Ryleigh yanked her arm out of his grasp. "Leave now," she insisted. "I'm not doing this, and I'm not going with you, if this is how you're gonna behave in public. Get a grip, and call me when you want to start acting like a human being and not a monster."

"Are you kidding me? Are you really picking this asshole over me?" George asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm telling you that I'm not putting up with your shit tonight. I took a big step in my career that I've always wanted to take, and if you're not going to be happy for me and celebrate my new job, then, you can take your bad attitude and leave," Ryleigh replied to him, feeling proud of herself for being able to speak to him the way she had wanted to since he had become such a prick.

"Fine. Fuck you. You're a little slut anyway. And you." He pointed to Stu. "Remember, she's with me. She's not with you, and she will never be." With those parting words, George turned around and walked out, knowing that if he decided to continue this, he didn't have anyone there to back him up, and it probably wouldn't end well.

Ryleigh watched him leave and wanted to cry for what just happened. She knew he had changed for the worse, but to make a public scene like that in front of all of her new co-workers was absolutely unacceptable, and it was definitely not okay with her. She was finally starting to see that maybe her fantasy life with George wasn't ever going to happen. Not with him behaving this way all of the time. She was grateful that everyone was with her because after the last time he hit her, she wouldn't put it past him to do it again. But he wasn't so stupid to do it in front of a bar full of wrestlers.

* * *

One of those wrestlers was not particularly happy that evening either. Layla El had a well-known crush on Stu. And she was not about to be outdone by some supermodel who was in way over her head by trying to become a WWE Diva. She was in no way going to let that happen. It infuriated her to see Stu standing up for Ryleigh. He sure as hell wasn't supposed to be doing that. He should have just walked away. Layla would have had no problems comforting him. But no. He just had to be the hero. But that would only last so long, if she could help it. She was determined to make him her own. She wasn't going to let some new bitch get in the way of that.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Stu asked Ryleigh, standing in front of her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm so sorry about that. He…he shouldn't have said those things about you. This whole thing had nothing to do with you, Stu. George just…he gets jealous very easily and overreacts. I'm so sorry," she apologized, feeling a crimson blush growing on her cheeks, as she avoided his eyes.

"Hey." He tilted her chin up to look at him. When their eyes finally met, he gave her a reassuring smile. "You didn't do anything wrong, Ryleigh. And trust me, his words don't hurt me in the least. I'm just worried about you. He was awfully cruel to you," he spoke empathetically to her.

Ryleigh shrugged. "It's not a big deal. He just has a really bad temper. He'll get over it," she tried to shrug it off, though she knew that the next time they were alone with each other, the situation would probably only escalate. That was definitely something she was not looking forward to. She didn't know what to expect.

"You don't sound so sure."

"I am," she said, giving him a smile. "It'll be fine. He just needs some time to calm down. That's all."

"Okay. Do you want to leave? Or…are you okay?"

"I want to stay. This is supposed to be a fun night to celebrate my new job that I'm so happy to have. I'm not gonna let him and his bad attitude ruin it for me," she defiantly spoke, brining her hands onto her hips.

Ryleigh sat back down on her barstool. Stu grinned and took his seat next to her. "Bartender, can we have refills, please?" he politely asked, as the bartender nodded and immediately went to making their drinks.

"I think you're going to be amazing at this new job," he spoke, giving her some reassurance.

"I hope so. I love being out there with you…and Randy…and everyone else. It's so great," she said, a dreamy look taking over her features.

"Well, it looks like we're all going to have plenty more time out there with the way the storyline is going."

"I hope so. I feel a lot more comfortable out there with you guys. Probably because on my first night there, when I was the guest host, I worked with you two more than the others," she explained. "And it's exciting to be out there with my new friend." She nudged him with her elbow.

"You're adorable. You do know that, right?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

Ryleigh laughed. "I like you, Stu. You're a sweetheart."

"As are you."

"Hey lovebirds, are things okay over here?" a partially intoxicated Justin asked, throwing his arms around Stu and Ryleigh's shoulders.

"We're good," Stu replied.

"What happened with George the douche?"

"He got pissed off that I was here…"

"Big surprise. Why was he even here? He ditched you at the arena because he was mad that you were actually doing something that made you happy. So, who the fuck is he to show up at the celebration?"

"I don't know, muffin. He picked a fight with me, but I told him to leave," she explained the previous events to him.

"You told him off?"

Stu smirked. "She did. It was very impressive."

"Shit. I wish I saw that. I've always wanted to see you stand up to him. He's so mean to you."

"Yeah, well, I told him off. I'm sure it's only gonna cause problems for me come tomorrow, but I didn't need tonight to be ruined because he's in a shitty mood, as usual. I'm in a really good mood, and I want to have fun for once in my life and not have him make it out to be this whole stupid fight…especially not now. He should've just shut up and dealt with it." It was obvious in her eyes that Ryleigh was getting upset the more she thought about what had just transpired, but she was trying to hide it. Justin and Stu knew very well that she was teetering on the edge of her happiness and about to fall into sadness. They were determined to not let her fall, either.

"I think we should take our drinks and go dance," Stu suggested, against his better judgment.

"You want to dance?" she asked, seeming a little surprised.

"Well, I'm not a particularly good dancer, and I don't like it very much, but tonight is special, and I'm going to make an exception for you, our guest of honor," he spoke sweetly to her. She was finding it very hard to resist him. Stu was incredibly sweet and knew how to make her feel special, something George wasn't very good at. Besides, that accent could make her do things she wouldn't normally do.

"Okay. Thanks, Stu."

"My pleasure."

Justin was smirking. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and Stu was clearly not doing anything to disprove those inappropriate thoughts…not that she was complaining about it. Ryleigh wouldn't mind if something happened with Stu had she been single. So, the fact that he was being so sweet to her, when her own fiancée was being an asshole made her giddy with excitement. Well, that, and she was still a bit tipsy and getting closer to being drunk with every sip of her drink.

Stu and Ryleigh stood up. He led her over to the dance floor and took her free hand in his and pulled her close to him. There were a bunch of people dancing around them, both strangers and fellow WWE employees. He rested his hand on her back. The two were moving to the music, though Ryleigh was pretty much leading him, seeing as he wasn't big on the dancing bit. The fact that she had a genuinely happy smile on her face made it all worth it for him. He just wished that things could be like this all of the time.


	7. Chapter 7

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: I own Jamie and Justin…though, Justin isn't in this chapter, but I don't own anyone else, unfortunately. I'll work on that, though.**

* * *

Ryleigh was waiting for her flight to board, en route to the next WWE house show. She was looking forward to it. After her successful first appearance as a Raw regular, though it was disastrous for her personal life, she was ready to make a go of this new career path. She felt excited about standing up for herself to George, but she was afraid of what would happen next in their relationship. She had so much fun hanging out with Stu at the bar, after the show. After they had spent some time dancing, they were just around, while Stu was introducing her around to everyone that she would be working with. Everyone seemed really sweet and welcoming towards her, aside from being completely snubbed by Layla, though her LayCool partner Michelle McCool was nothing short of a total sweetheart. But with all of the events taken into consideration, Ryleigh believed it was all in all a wonderful night, and she couldn't have been happier. Things were really looking up for her, aside from the problems she was still having with George, but that was besides the point.

"Hey sweetheart," Stu greeted, sitting down next to Ryleigh, while they were waiting around in the airport terminal.

"Hey Stu," she greeted with a smile.

"How are you doing this morning?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm very good, thank you. I had a lot of fun with you last night, you know," he sincerely spoke.

"Me, too. It was a great night."

He nodded. "So, what seat do you have on the plane?"

Ryleigh pulled her boarding pass out of her Black Coach purse and checked it out. "I'm in…row seven, seat B. Where are you?"

"Row six, seat D," he replied.

"Aw man. I wonder who I'm sitting next to," she said, disappointed that she wouldn't be next to Stu.

"Did you sat row seven, seat B?" a voice asked from behind.

Ryleigh turned around to face Mike Mizanin. "Yes, I did," she replied, glancing at the pass in her hands.

"I'm row seven, seat A. We're right next to each other," he explained, with his signature cocky grin.

"Alright. Cool. I'm sure we'll have fun," she said, giving him a smile, though knowing what a cocky ball buster he could be, she wasn't sure if this was exactly going to be as much fun as she was pretending it would be.

"Oh we will," he replied with a wink.

Stu shot him a sharp look. "When we land in Charlotte, maybe we can grab some dinner and hang out, since we don't have a show tonight," he suggested to Ryleigh, almost trying to one up Mike.

"Yeah. That sounds good to me," she accepted.

"Great."

Ryleigh turned away from Mike. "So, when are we going to work on you training me?" she asked with a smirk, giving him a nudge.

"Well, tomorrow before the show maybe we can do some work. Maybe we can get to a gym, and I'll work with you," he offered.

"That works for me. I can't wait. It's been like a month and a half since I've had any training."

"Well, you couldn't tell by looking at you," he commented, his eyes dipping towards her flawless figure, momentarily.

Ryleigh blushed. "I dunno about that."

"It's true. You know, you look really cute."

She was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, along with a white fitted v-neck top. Her hair was back in a pony tail, and she wore a pair of sneakers, opting to take the relaxed approach when dressing this morning. "I look like a mess," she laughed.

"Well, I think you look great."

"You're so sweet," she gushed.

"He's flirting with you," Mike commented from behind them, as he was playing Angry Birds on his iPhone, passing the time.

"Shut up, Michael. Don't be a brat," she shot at him.

He laughed. "I'm just pointing out what everyone else already knows. There's no need to get all angry and defensive with me."

"You're such a troublemaker."

He nodded. "That's true."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "This is what I get to deal with for the entire flight," she groaned.

"That's very true," Mike agreed.

Stu smirked at her. "Well, I won't be too far away."

"Thank God. I'll be able to maintain some semblance of sanity," she replied, grinning flirtatiously, though she hadn't intended to make it seem like she was flirting with him. She was just trying to be friendly.

"I do what I can."

"I'm so sleepy," she said, while yawning.

"Aw So, maybe you'll be able to get some sleep on the plane."

"Definitely not," Mike chimed in. "Remember, you're gonna be sitting next to me the whole time."

"Can you not listen to our entire conversation?" she asked him.

"Nope. I'm nosy."

Stu laughed. "Ry, he does this to everyone he possibly can do it to, to get a rise out of them. If you ignore him, he gets bored and leaves you alone for about…ten to fifteen minutes, before starting all over again."

"Well…it's working because I want to hit him."

"Obviously."

Mike was laughing to himself. "You know this flight is gonna be one of the most fun I'm gonna have."

"I'm gonna end up throwing you out of an emergency exit," she commented, nodding her head.

"Wouldn't be the first attempt and definitely not the last," Mike told her. "People have tried worse."

"You'll learn to ignore him, eventually," Stu assured her. "It's something everyone gets used to."

"I really hope so."

* * *

Ryleigh was sitting in between Mike Mizanin and Anthony Carelli. Basically, she was sandwiched between the Miz and Santino for the entire flight. Both men seemed to be hell bent on driving her absolutely insane…and the plane hadn't even taken off just yet. Mike was basically being an instigator, trying to make her lose her mind for his own twisted pleasure. Anthony was obviously hopelessly in love with Ryleigh and was not even trying to hide it in the least. He spent every moment dreamily gazing at her, complimenting her and repeatedly asking for her hand in marriage. She was pretty sure she would have to be committed to a mental asylum within the next few hours, as it was clear neither man would be backing off any time soon.

"You know, you're the most beautiful woman in the entire universe," Anthony spoke, sighing.

"That's very sweet of you."

"You know you're gonna marry me, right?"

"For the five hundredth time already, I'm engaged," she said, shoving her ring in his face yet again.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem for us."

"Listen, I think you need to back up off of my woman," Mike finally broke in, confrontationally. The two men had been battling over her affections since they had sat down in their seats.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "You guys are delusional," she spoke, adamantly shaking her head.

"No way. Come on, Ryleigh. You know that you love me more. I'm awesome," Mike replied.

"While you were very entertaining on the Real World, and you're very entertaining in the ring, I don't think that we could ever be more than friends," she tried to explain to him for what felt like the millionth time.

"No way. You know you love me."

"She loves me," Anthony argued.

"No. Don't even. She wants me, and who could really blame her?" Mike rhetorically asked.

"Oh. My. God. I can't deal with this crap for the entire flight. The both of you are out of your damn minds. I have absolutely no romantic or sexual interest in either of you," she told them both, rolling her eyes. This was bound to be the longest plane ride of her entire life, and she had been on a lot of plane rides.

Stu turned in his seat and gave her a reassuring smile, clearly hearing what was going on in her row. She returned the smile and shook her head. "Ohhh. I see what's going on here. You're not interested in either of us because you've got your little boyfriend over there," Mike teased her.

"You idiot. We're just friends," she insisted. "And you're a real pain in my ass, you do know that, right?"

"Ryleigh, you know, we're more than friends, even if you're trying to deny it," Anthony commented, resting his head on her shoulder affectionately. She shrugged, pushing his head off of her.

"One or both of you are going to get your ass or asses kicked," she shot at them, finding herself desperately wanting to hurt them more and more with each passing second, as she was reaching her boiling point.

Stu was laughing. This was hilarious to watch. "Are you two men bothering Ryleigh?" he asked.

"No. We're just arguing over who loves Ryleigh. And it's obviously me," Anthony replied.

"No. It's me," Mike argued.

"Gentlemen, please don't harass her. She's new, and you're going to chase her away," he warned them.

"She loves me, so it's okay," Mike replied. "Ryleigh isn't going to go anywhere unless she's with me. That's just how deep her love for me is. She'll even put up with this clown," he said, motioning to Anthony.

"I swear, I'm going to hurt one of you before we even make it off of this plane. I can feel it in my bones," Ryleigh told Anthony and Mike while she shook her head.

* * *

The plane had been in the air for about an hour already, and both Mike and Anthony had fallen asleep, after spending the first thirty airborne minutes arguing over who loved Ryleigh more and who she loved. This went on while she just sat there, shaking her head. She found it very flattering that the two felt it was necessary to argue over her heart, but she was damned near beating the shit out of the two of them.

"How are you doing?" Stu asked, turning to face her.

"Oh lovely. I'm trapped between these two," she replied, motioning towards the sleeping men.

"Why don't you come over here? I have a whole empty row," he told her, motioning to the empty seats next to him.

"Okay," she agreed.

Ryleigh carefully stood up. She faced the seat and brought her hands onto the back of it, steadying herself. She held her breath, as she slowly lifted her leg up and over the still sleeping Anthony, as she prayed that he wouldn't wake up, while she tried maneuvering over him. Her foot hit the floor of the aisle, and she was straddling Anthony's lap. She carefully finished her climb over the sleeping man and took a deep breath, as she was relieved she had successfully managed to escape her seat without waking anyone up. Ryleigh then walked over to Stu and smiled, quickly climbing over him and sitting in the middle seat of the row, right next to him.

"Oh thank God," she breathed.

"Hello doll," he greeted her, with that nearly irresistible smirk on his face. She was trying not to melt.

"I was totally not expecting that to work out as well as it did. I was sure one of my lovely suitors was going to wake up and catch me trying to ditch them," she said with a grin, suppressing a laugh.

"To be honest, I thought that Anthony was going to wake up when you were right over his lap, and he was going to think you were reciprocating his feelings," he told her with that smirk on his face.

"I would have killed myself if that happened."

He laughed. "No. I would have saved you."

"My hero."

"I try."

"So, how are you?" she asked.

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm good."

"Have you spoken to George today?"

"Nope."

"Oh really?"

"Really. He embarrassed me last night in front of you and everyone else because he doesn't know how to control his temper, and I'm really pissed off at him for making such a scene. I'm sure he's sitting around thinking that I owe him an apology, but he's out of his mind if he thinks I'm going to tell him I'm sorry for his bad behavior."

"Good for you. You shouldn't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, Ry. He was completely out of line."

"He was. I mean, it's nothing new for him to treat me like that, but to do it in front of everyone was uncalled for."

"You're absolutely right, but it shouldn't matter who's around. The man you're planning on marrying should never disrespect you, whether the two of you are alone or in a group of people."

She shrugged. "Well, yeah, but I've learned at this point that I have to pick my battles wisely."

"I know it's not my place, but that's one battle you really should pick," Stu told her, not wanting to piss her off but wanting to explain how things were actually supposed to work in real relationships.

"Yeah…"

"Listen, Ryleigh, you're my friend, and I know that I'm not supposed to be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong or anything, but it really bothers me that you let him treat you like that. You're way above that. He should realize how lucky he is to have you, and he should realize that there are men out there who would kill to be with you and who would treat you the right way, and he's just being a complete waste of skin, whenever the opportunity arises. I mean, I honestly thought he was going to lay a hand on you last night, and I swear to God that I would have murdered him in front of everyone. Anyone who would…" Stu cut himself off, thinking about the situation for a couple of seconds, before speaking again. "Ryleigh, can I ask you a question?"

Her eyes were completely avoiding his, almost as if she knew where the conversation was headed. "Sure."

"Look at me, please."

She reluctantly looked up at him, having a feeling that this conversation was about to take a turn that she didn't want it to.

"Ryleigh, has he ever hit you?" Stu finally asked.

The one thing she was terrible at was lying. Her eyes began darting around uncomfortably. "I mean, we fight a lot…but it doesn't usually get physical or anything like that," she replied, her voice low.

"Now, I'm really worried. Usually? Does that mean that sometimes it does?" he asked her.

"It used to never…"

"Used to?"

"Remember when I told you that we got into a fight when he caught me reading the contract that Vince gave me? Before I signed?"

"Yes."

"That was the first time that it had ever gotten physical. I was crying and begging him not be mad about it, and he kept pushing me away from him. He ended up grabbing me and throwing me on the floor, which really wasn't a big deal…" she began recalling the events that had happened.

"Okay, first of all, that is a huge deal because no one should ever put his hands on you like that. Secondly, you shouldn't want to be with someone who will treat you like that when you're crying. He should be comforting you."

"Well, it got worse when I told him I signed…"

"How much worse?"

"He pushed me into the wall and screamed at me. And he might have slapped me…" she told him, her voice meek. This was not something she wanted to be talking about, but for some reason, the words were coming out of her mouth without her consent. Everything was just happening in front of her.

"He slapped you?" he asked, in disbelief.

She nodded, slowly. "Yes."

"Where?"

"Across the face. Tony came over. He's friends with George and me. I'm pretty sure he saw the handprint on my cheek, and he looked like he was going to flip out, but he didn't," she explained.

"A handprint? That bloody son of a bitch left a handprint on your cheek when he hit you?" Stu asked, his voice taking on a tone Ryleigh had never heard before. To be honest, it was starting to scare her a little bit.

"I don't think he meant to…"

"None of the fucking cowards who hit their girlfriends and wives intend to leave marks," he shot at her, his voice full of anger. She was pretty sure that if George magically appeared in front of Stu right now, he would be dead. "This is definitely not okay, Ryleigh. You do know that, right? That's not normal, and it's not right."

She slowly nodded. "I know…"

"So, why would you put up with something like that? You're so beautiful and smart and perfect. How could you let this happen? Why are you still wearing that bloody ring on your finger and calling him your fiancée?"

"Stu, it's not that easy to just everything, you know?" she spoke, her voice barely above whisper.

"Really? It's not that easy, Ryleigh? You have someone like me, here, who may not be the best looking guy in the world. I may not have all the money there is to be had in the world. I may not be the funniest or even the nicest guy on earth. I might not be perfect or anywhere near perfection, quite frankly. And maybe I don't deserve someone like you, but I know without even a shadow of doubt that I would treat you at least a million times better than that arsehole ever had. And I would never be lucky enough to get a chance to be with you, but he's gonna marry you? That's…it's…" He took a deep breath and let it out. "Bollocks," he muttered under his breath.

Ryleigh was staring at him in shock. Did he just admit to wanting to be with her? She wasn't exactly sure. "Stu…" She gently placed a hand on his tense arm. He looked at her, a pained expression on his face.

"What?"

"What did you mean by that?" she asked.

"By what?"

"Comparing yourself to George…"

It obviously hadn't crossed his mind that he said all of these things to her. His mouth just started going off at his frustration with what was going on. "Oh…I just meant…as in…generally speaking…" He was obviously lying.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Stu, I've been completely honest with you, even when it came to something I've never told anyone before and was never planning on speaking about, and you're sitting here and lying to me?" she asked, her eyes showing hints of sadness and hurt behind them.

He sighed. "Ryleigh…"

"I told you everything, and you won't be honest with me?"

"Would it even matter if you knew the truth?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, it would."

"Fine." He took a deep breath. "When I found out that you had a boyfriend, I was upset. When I found out that you got engaged to that bloody wanker, I was…miserable," he finally admitted.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No."

"Don't do this, Ryleigh. It's not gonna change anything, and it'll make things different between us," he protested.

"Please?"

Her eyes finally caught his. The pleading stare was getting to him, and he knew he was going to crack.

"I care about you…more than I should."

"Meaning?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You know what I mean."

"Tell me."

"I have feelings for you," he told her. "Very strong feelings for you. I hate George, and I wish I was the one who was with you because I know I could make you happy. I would be such a better boyfriend to you than he is."

"When did this happen?"

"The day I met you…"

"And you never told me?"

"You had a boyfriend, at first. Then, you got engaged. When would you have liked me to tell you?"

"Good point." She paused. "Can we still be friends?"

"I didn't want that to change anything, so I would like to."

She nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around his arm, as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Stu, I love hanging out with you and talking to you. You do make me very happy, and I trust you."

"Well, I'm glad that you feel that way with me."

"If I wasn't with George, I would be with you."

"That makes me feel so much better," he sarcastically commented, feeling slightly angered by that comment.

"I know it doesn't help, especially knowing that I'm still with him, but it's the truth. I have feelings for you, too, you know."

His head immediately turned to face her. "Are you serious?"

She lifted her head and nodded. "Justin knows all about my crush on you," she told him. "He keeps encouraging me to sleep with you and fall in love with you and things of that nature. To be honest, I'm pretty sure he has a crush on you, too."

A smile crossed Stu's lips. "Well, that's very flattering, but unfortunately for Justin, you're the one that I want."

"I really wish that things were different," she spoke, resting her head on her friend's shoulder for a second time.

"Me, too," he agreed, placing his other hand on top of her arms that were clinging to him affectionately. There was a semi-awkward silence between the two, as neither knew what to say, after everything had been revealed.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Sometimes, I hate being a model."

"Why is that?"

"Because of how people view me, knowing that I prance around in my underwear in front of a camera. Everyone thinks that I'm an idiot, and they don't respect me. I mean, a lot of people in the business do, but I feel like the rest of the world thinks I'm some flash in the pan, pretty face, with an empty head."

"Well, you know, every time I look at you, I get butterflies in my stomach. You're probably the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on, but you're also very well-spoken and intelligent. You're the total package, and I'm sure that sooner or later, the rest of the world will learn what I already know."

She smiled at him, knowing that he meant what he said. "You're the sweetest guy in the world, do you know that?"

"Thanks. I'm happy that you think I'm sweet."

"I've had so many problems with men in my life, that I feel like I don't want to trust you, but unlike everyone else, I can't seem to help the fact that I really do trust you with everything I have," Ryleigh admitted.

"Why do you have so many problems with men?"

"They all leave me," she replied with a shrug.

"Your ex-boyfriends?" he asked, slightly confused.

Ryleigh nodded. "But not just them…my father left when I was young. He completely destroyed me for years. My brother and I are very estranged because he just hates me for some reason. I dated man after man who just…they all completely broke me down," she admitted. "And even with all of those betrayals, somehow I find myself completely trusting you and able to let me guard down. The only man I've ever managed to let in enough to know the real me is Justin. And he's gay. Not that that makes him less of a man, but it's different to trust a man who you know definitely doesn't have any romantic or sexual interest in you, you know what I mean?" she explained.

He nodded. "You know that you may be the one having the problems, but none of it is your fault. You're…amazing. Anyone, man or woman, would be lucky to have you in his or her life," he told her.

"When you say things like that, you know, you make my heart flutter a little bit," Ryleigh said, a lazy smile on her lips.

"Really? Do you think I'll ever be able to make it flutter enough for you to drop your man and be with me?" he asked, slight hostility in his words.

"Stu…"

"You don't have to reply to that. I know what the answer is." He began chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"It's not like that. If I wasn't with him, I'm sure things between the two of us would be a lot different."

"But it doesn't really matter because you'd rather be with someone who would hit you and act like you're a burden on him than to be with someone who cares more about you than he even cares about himself," he spitefully shot back.

"Stu…" she whispered. He was looking away from her. He didn't acknowledge her. "Please look at me." Still no response. She gently took hold of his chin and turned his face to look at her. On the outside, there was a lot of anger, but it was clear to her that he was really just hurt. "Stu, you're the most incredible guy I've ever met in my entire life, and I wish that things were different."

"Sure," he snapped and turned away from her.

Ryleigh dropped her hand into her lap and had to fight back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "Fine. If that's how you want this to be, then, that's fine," she spoke, her voice low, as she was trying to control it. She stood up and climbed over Stu. He grabbed her hand in his, stopping her temporarily, as she tried to walk away. Ryleigh looked down at him, as he looked up at her. He didn't mean to snap at her, he was just frustrated.

"Wait. Ryleigh, don't go," he said, his voice softening.

She snatched her hand away from his grasp. "Don't touch me right now. Don't talk to me," she spoke firmly and walked back to her seat, climbing over Anthony. She accidentally knocked into his knee, as she sat down, waking him up. "I'm sorry," she apologized, as his eyes opened.

"I don't mind waking up to see your beautiful face," he replied with a smile. He frowned, as he noticed her eyes were full of tears. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, sounding concerned.

Ryleigh slowly shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just tired," she said. Stu's eyes were glued to her. They were full of regret. "I'm just gonna take a nap. Can you wake me up when we land?" she asked.

Anthony nodded. "Of course. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, not believing her for a second. She was just a very bad liar.

She nodded again and laid her head against the seat, closing her eyes. It took all she had not to cry.

Ryleigh didn't want this to happen. She knew very well that she shouldn't be with George. She wanted more than anything to be with Stu, to be completely honest. He treated her right. He made her feel like she was the most important person on the entire planet. People were always telling her how great and beautiful and wonderful she was, but she also knew that everyone was blowing smoke up her ass for all of the superficial reasons. But when Stu complimented her, she actually believed him. She knew that he meant what he said. Ryleigh felt right when she was with him. He never made her feel the way George did. That was a very good thing. She knew that she belonged with him. To be honest, she wanted nothing more than to be with him, but things with George were bad enough that she didn't even know how to get out of that one at this point.

The way Stu reacted to what happened just completely tore her apart. He was mad at the situation. She completely understood why, but he was so cold toward her. And that hurt her. She felt as if she and Stu were very close, and to not be on the normal, good terms, just made her heart break.

To hear Stu admit his feelings for her did two things. On the one hand, it made her feel incredible. Her heart was beating faster, she was overcome with happiness and excitement at the thought of being with someone like him. It was almost like that giddy teenage crush feeling times a million. On the other hand, though, it made her feel that much worse about being engaged to George. She knew that being with George was just dragging her down. Being with Stu would bring her up. This was not a situation she wanted to be in. She loved George, but things were so bad at this point that she couldn't ever see herself marrying him. She could see herself with Stu, and that was where she wanted to be, but at this point, it wasn't something she could do with the way her life was going. She knew that it sounded naïve and foolish, but she was hoping that things had only gotten so bad because of the stress that had been put on their relationship in the recent weeks.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me," Ryleigh groaned, at the hotel check-in counter, as she shook her head.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I don't know how this happened," the woman apologized, her voice sincere.

"I understand it's not your fault. I just have no idea as to what I'm gonna do now. You're sure there's nothing available at all?" she asked, practically begging.

"There aren't any rooms available for the evening," the woman apologized, shaking her head regretfully.

"Alright. Thank you anyway," Ryleigh said, turning away from the counter. She knew it wasn't the woman's fault that her reservations had been lost, but she was pretty much screwed at this point.

"Are you okay, Ryleigh?" Mike Mizanin asked, noticed the stressed expression on her face.

"The hotel lost my reservations," she explained. "So, now I'm gonna have to find another hotel or something."

"Oh…well, if you need you can stay with me," he offered.

"It's okay. She's staying in my room. I have two beds, and I'm the only one staying in there," Stu said, walking over to them.

Ryleigh looked up at him, unsure of how to react. "Oh…"

"You're more than welcome to stay with me, if you'd like," Mike asked with his usual smirk.

"Thanks anyway. If Stu has an extra bed, I'll just room with him," she replied. "But I do appreciate the offer."

"Alright," Mike said, making his way towards the elevator.

"Are you sure you want me in the room with you?" Ryleigh asked, looking up at Stu, unsure if this was going to be a good idea.

"I'm positive. Come on. Let's go upstairs and get settled in," he said, his voice not conveying any kind of emotion. She was finding it hard to read him at the moment. He picked her bags up and led her to the elevators. She pressed the up button, as the two waited for the doors to open. There was an awkward silence between the two, as they made their way into the elevator and waited for the trip up to Stu's room.

When they arrived at the floor, they made their way down the hallway, and he stopped in front of the room they'd be sharing. Stu put the bags down, unlocked and opened the door, before picking the bags back up and holding the door open with his back. Ryleigh walked in, immediately noticing that there was only one bed. She turned around to face Stu, was put the bags down and shut the door.

"There's only one bed," she commented, keeping her voice low.

"I know. I said there was two so that Mike would back off. You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor or on the couch or something," he replied.

"You don't have to do that. I can stay on the couch or floor or something," she insisted, not wanting to put him out of his own room.

"Absolutely not. You can take the bed, Ryleigh. There's no way I'm going to let you stay on the floor or couch."

"This is your room."

Stu sighed and walked up to her. "We can share the room. We're friends. I know that right now things are a little but shaky because of what happened on the plane before. And that's all my fault. I should have just shut my mouth and gotten so bent out of shape," he told her. "Please, take the bed."

"It's really not a big deal."

"Ryleigh, you are so stubborn," he groaned.

"I'm a Taurus, and I'm Italian," she replied with a shrug. "That's how I've always been, and it'll never change."

Stu smiled. "Listen, how about this: we get room service sent up here, and we watch a movie, and we'll discuss the sleeping arrangements. Does that sound okay?" he asked, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Okay," she agreed.

"I'm sorry I acted like an arse on the plane. I shouldn't have gone about the things I felt in that way. It was completely stupid of me."

Ryleigh hugged Stu. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She felt so much better hugging him, as if things were going to go back to normal by the end of the night.

* * *

Ryleigh was laying on the bed, in a pair of way too big black, fleece sweatpants and a white, clingy wife beater. Her hair was up in a messy bun. Stu also had on a pair of baggy black sweatpants, paired with a white Nike t-shirt. The two had eaten, watched a movie and spent a lot of time talking about mindless topics. Luckily, it was repairing their relationship to be so casual with each other. The two had spent the majority of the night laughing and joking around. It made the two feel so much better about what had happened earlier.

"So, you really said that?" Stu asked.

Ryleigh laughed. "Yeah. She was being a total bitch to me. I don't care who the hell she thinks she is. First of all, no one gives a shit about Naomi Campbell anymore, anyway, and she had no right to get in my face and demand that I tell Sports Illustrated that I didn't want to be on the cover just because she was jealous that everyone likes me, and everyone hates working with her. That bitch doesn't dictate my career. Tyra Banks was there, and she was hysterical. She told me she wanted to see me hit her, but I probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble for that," she told him.

Stu laughed. "You really are something else."

"I honestly thought she was going to go after me, but seeing as she was still on probation or whatever, she was removed from the shoot altogether."

"My God, you're hilarious."

Ryleigh smiled. "No one treats me that way."

"So, can I ask you a more serious question, then?" he asked.

She nodded. "Of course."

"If you don't let Naomi Campbell or anyone else treat you like that, then, why would you let George treat you that way?" he asked.

Ryleigh looked down. "I um…it's different. Things with George weren't always so bad. We used to be so happy. When we were first together, he was just…he treated me so well. He actually made me happy, you know? And…I dunno. Things just changed, I guess. I have a really busy schedule, so we don't get to see each other as much as we want to, and when he proposed, I thought that things were getting better, but I guess…it just didn't turn out the way I had hoped it would."

"You don't deserve to be treated like that, Ry. You're so sweet and fun, and you're beautiful and smart. You're so much better than he is. I know that you love him, but he obviously doesn't love you. You should be with someone who loves you and can appreciate you."

"I don't know what to do."

"Listen, I know I'm biased, but you shouldn't be putting up with this. You should never, ever let a man put his hands on you. That's not right. No man should ever hurt a woman, for any reason."

"I know…"

Stu laid down next to her, facing her. He pulled her into his arms. "I don't want to see you hurt. I want to kill him for putting his hands on you, and that's regardless of any feelings I have for you."

Ryleigh nodded and cuddled herself into Stu's arms. He gently rubbed her back. "I wish things were different," she said and looked up at him.

"So do I."

She was feeling herself become overcome with feelings for him. She quickly sat up and pulled herself out of his arms. He sat up next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned with how quickly she pulled away from him.

"Yeah…I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Ry…"

She turned to face him. "Stu…I just…" She shook her head. Ryleigh leaned in and pressed her lips against his. She was afraid of what would happen at the moment that their lips touched, but once it actually happened, she felt better than she'd ever felt in her entire life. There was a spark between them. Stu did not expect that to happen. If anything, he thought that she would have hit him, but this was an unexpected surprise. He began kissing her back, holding her face in his hand, his thumb resting on her cheek.

Ryleigh swung her leg over Stu's body and sat on his lap, as their kiss intensified. He had both hands cupping her face. Her hands were on the back of his neck. This kiss was one unlike anything else she had ever experienced. He didn't want the kiss to end, fearing that she would regret it. But she pulled back and kept her eyes on his.

"Ryleigh, I think…no, I know…I'm in love with you," he whispered.

She was silent for a few moments, considering his words carefully, before she reacted. "Then, prove it," she told him.

"What?"

"Prove it. Right here, right now. Show me how much you love me," Ryleigh told him, her voice completely serious.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Okay." Stu pulled her back in for another kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and turned them around, so they were laying on the bed, and he was on top of her. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, holding her against him. His hands ran up underneath her top, immersing himself in the ecstasy that his contact with the bare flesh of her back had emitted within him.

"Stu, I'm falling for you, so hard," she admitted, into their kiss. "I've been trying to not…but I just…I can't ignore it anymore."

"Then, don't."

She turned them around and pulled her top off, tossing it to the side. She laid down on top of him, kissing him passionately, as she maneuvered his shirt up and off of his body. His arms were wrapped around her. She held his face in her hands. Stu turned them around, so he was on top of her once again. Ryleigh reached behind them and pulled the covers down, as they managed to get underneath without pulling their lips apart. She rested her hands on his lower back. He used one hand to hold his full weight off of her body, and the other one was on the back of her neck

"Baby," he moaned against her lips. She ran her hands along the waistband of his sweatpants, behind his back. Ryleigh began pushing them down, over his hips. She felt his hardness free itself from the confines of his pants and press against her thigh. He groaned upon the contact of her skin against him. "Ryleigh, are you sure that you want to do this?" he asked, parting their lips.

"Positive."

"Really?"

"Please. I need this more than anything." He leaned in, his lips immediately attaching themselves to hers.

Stu then pulled back from Ryleigh, sitting on the balls of his feet, as he quickly pulled her sweatpants off and tossed them to the side. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as she pulled him back in towards her.

"Baby, you're the so beautiful," he whispered into her mouth.

"Stu…"

"Yeah?"

"I need you in me," she breathed.

Stu wrapped his hand around his penis and pressed it against Ryleigh's center. It was clear that she was more than ready for this. His eyes rolled back into his head upon the sensation of her on him. "Oh God," he groaned.

"Please," she begged.

"But I don't have a-"

"Do you not want to?" she asked, cutting him off, as she pulled her lips off of his. "Baby, we don't have to, if you aren't comfortable."

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable…"

"I'm fine. I trust you…and I haven't done anything with George in over a month…and we've always used something," she assured him.

Stu leaned in and kissed her again. "If you're fine with it, then, I don't have a problem with it."

She gave him a smile and nodded, knowing that without a doubt she wanted this to happen. He slowly pushed himself inside of her. She cried out, feeling his much larger than average size stretching her insides. "Oh my God." He began slowly pulling himself out and pushing himself back inside of her, as her body was trying to adjust to his size, while she was moaning loudly.

Stu pressed his forehead against hers, their eyes locking as he moved in and out of her. "Ry, you feel incredible."

"So do you, baby."

He brought his lips down, giving her a quick, affectionate kiss. "I'm so crazy about you, sweetheart."

"You have no idea how much I care about you," she spoke, her voice shaky. Neither of them had ever felt anything like this before. This wasn't just sex for either of them. There was a lot more going on, emotionally.

"I'm so close already."

"Me, too. I've never felt this way before," she admitted.

"Me either. I need you so badly. And I don't like needing people. To be honest, I don't usually need people, but I need you more than anything," he spoke to her, every word drenched in sincerity.

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes locked on him. Her heart was beating faster, and she knew it wasn't just because of their physical activities at the moment, either. The moment was getting more intense with each passing moment, as it was clear that the two were falling in love with each other, and their situation was not the best. They knew that this, although it felt right, was only going to cause more problems for them.

"Stu," she practically growled, as she felt her climax hit her and tightened around him, which caused him to thrust harder into her, as he came even closer to his release. He pressed his lips to the crook of her neck, as the sensation of her orgasm finally caused him to climax. Her legs were tightly wrapped around him, as he began cumming inside of her. The two of them remained motionless, with him on top of her, as he finished releasing in her. The two were out of breath and shaking.

A few moments later, Stu finally looked up at her. He didn't say anything and leaned in giving her an affectionate kiss on her lips. She held him against her, not wanting the warmth of his body to disappear from on top of her. He slowly rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms, as she rested her head against his chest. The two of them knew that things were going to be different between them from now on, but neither had any idea how this situation was going to pan out.

Things had just gotten significantly more complicated, as neither Ryleigh nor Stu could deny or even suppress their feeling for each other anymore. The two remained in each other's embrace, as they drifted off to sleep together, finally feeling like things were the way they were supposed to be, for the first time in a long time.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys...so...crazy, huh? I was going to make it not happen for a lot longer, but I just started writing, and I couldn't help myself. Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! The intention was to have this up yesterday, but as most of my plans end up shot to shit, that one did as well. Currently, I should be on my way to Madison Square Garden for the Raw show, but I'm snowed in and can't go. So, now I'm all whiny and mopey :o( Love you all! I hope you enjoyedddd! XoXoXoXoXo**


	8. Chapter 8

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ryleigh and Justin. I wish this stuff was real, but it's not. It's all made up in my crazy little head.**

* * *

Ryleigh woke up first the next morning. She immediately remembered the events that occurred the night beffore, and a smile formed across her lips. Her eyes slowly drifted up Stu's bare chest to his still-shut eyes. He looked peaceful and content. This felt right to her. His arm was still secured around her waist. She tightened her grasp on his body, loving the way that she felt with him. She truly believed that she could do this with him every single day of her life. This was what she had longed for with George but never got. Ryleigh felt safe and happy when she was with Stu, especially like this. This was how it was supposed to be when you were in love with someone. She had no desire to move. When she stayed with George, she would get up as soon as her eyes opened, for fear that there would be an argument any time after his eyes opened, but Ryleigh didn't want to move from her current spot with Stu…ever again. This was where she belonged.

"Good morning, doll," Stu's groggy voice greeted her. She felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach upon hearing his voice.

She smiled. "Good morning," she reciprocated.

"Did you sleep alright?"

"Yup. Did you?"

He nodded. "It was the best night of sleep…ever." Stu rolled himself on top of her and pressed his forehead against hers. She giggled, and he began planting kisses on her neck, which tickled her, causing her laughs to get louder. He, then, trailed his kisses onto her face, before planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"We have to get up soon," she said, pouting.

"Yeah, but I'll be able to play with you in the ring today," he replied with a smirk, eliciting a laugh from her.

"I'm sure that everyone would love to see that," she commented.

"I don't care what anyone would love."

"I know that. Hell, you wouldn't care what anyone says, thinks, wants…any of it," she commented with a smirk.

"That's very true."

Stu planted a quick kiss on Ryleigh's lips. "Wanna take a shower with me?" she invited him.

He smirked. "Who could say no to that?"

She shrugged, as he sat up in the bed. She got up and climbed on top of his lap. Stu wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her lower back. Ryleigh brought her hands onto his shoulders and pressed her lips against his, passionately, as her arms snaked around his neck and held him to her.

The blaring of Hollywood Undead's song "Bitches" rang out through the room, meaning only one thing. Stu immediately rolled his eyes upon the realization of what that one thing was. She groaned and pressed her forehead to his shoulder, not wanting the moment to be ruined, though it clearly had already been. He grabbed her phone off of the night table, handing it to her.

She picked up the call, a frown on her face, as her eyes avoided Stu's. "Hello?" she greeted without much enthusiasm.

"Ryleigh…" George spoke.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready to apologize to me yet?"

"For your bad behavior? Not quite."

"For being a slut and trying to make a fool out of me in front of everyone that night," he shot back.

"I was hanging out with my new work friends. If you have a problem with that, you're just gonna have to get over it."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Is that how you talk to your future husband? You owe me a damn apology," he demanded.

Stu lifted Ryleigh off of him, climbed out of the bed and made his way into the bathroom, as Ryleigh felt her heart sink slightly upon watching him walk away from her. She knew he was upset that she was on the phone with George, especially after what had been going on between them since the night before. "George, I'm not playing these stupid, childish games with you anymore."

"Don't you dare get all high and mighty with me, Ryleigh. You owe me a fucking apology, and I want it now."

She scoffed. "Grow up, George. You're an adult. Start fucking acting like it," she spat and hung up on him, feeling empowered by the fact that she loved someone else and didn't find it necessary to take someone's bullshit, if she no longer wanted to spend her life with him. She powered her phone off, tossing it back on to the night table, so she wouldn't have to deal with him calling her again. She got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Stu was already in the shower. She climbed in next to him, his back to her. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his bare back, as the water showered down on them. He pried her arms off of his body within seconds.

"Ryleigh, we can't do this," he said, firmly.

"What?" she asked.

"Showering together. We can't do it. We shouldn't be sleeping together, either. You're engaged, and I'm not completely stupid. It doesn't matter what happens between us. You're not gonna leave your fiancée for me."

"Stu…"

"No, Ryleigh. I'm not gonna let you jerk me around like some kind of arsehold," he snapped.

Ryleigh shook her head slowly and climbed out of the shower, not wanting to fight with Stu. She grabbed a towel and wrapping it around her body, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to pour out of her eyes. She slowly made her way out of the bathroom. She quickly dressed herself in a pair of black yoga pants and a light pink tank top, throwing on a pair of sneakers, piling her hair on top of her head carelessly, securing it up with a clip. She was trying to control her emotions.

Sitting on the edge of the bed for a few moments, Ryleigh came to a decision. She got up and quickly packed her stuff and left the room, bringing her things with her. She made her way down the hallway, unsure of what she was going to do, when a door opened, and Mike stepped out.

"Ryleigh?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna get a different room."

He noticed the sad look in her eyes. "Come in here," he said, ushering her into the room. She acquiesced, entering the room slowly, her bags trailing behind her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head slowly. "No."

"You want to come to the gym with me?" he offered, not wanting to press her on the subject, if she didn't want to talk about it…at least he'd leave it for the moment. To be honest, Mike really wanted to know what was going on.

"Sure," she agreed.

Mike gave her a smile. "Okay. Let's go, my dear." The two left his room and went downstairs to the hotel gym.

* * *

Ryleigh was on the treadmill when Stu walked in. Mike was on the machine that was next to her. She was speed walking at an incline, while he was walking with no incline. His goal at the moment wasn't exactly working out. It was trying to cheer Ryleigh up. He had been talking about random, mindless things to try and at least get a smile…or even a grin out of her, though it obviously wasn't working very well. He was persistent, though, and wouldn't stop trying anyway. He noticed how she visibly tensed up upon seeing the Brit walk into the gym. Mike also noted the heartbroken expression on his face and slowly began piecing together at least a small part of what was going on between his two co-workers. Clearly the two had feelings for each other. Anyone could see that much.

"So, what's going on with the two of you?" Mike asked, trying to sound casual about the question.

Her eyes were sad as she took them off of Stu and focused them on Mike. "Who?" she asked, her eyes unsure of exactly what to tell him. It wasn't that she didn't want him to know about her and Stu. It was more along the lines of she didn't want everyone to know about what was going on.

He rolled his eyes. "Stu. You two have been staring at each other since he walked in. And the both of you look absolutely miserable."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on already. Everyone can tell that you two are so crazy in love with each other. It's obvious," he pointed out.

"I'm engaged…"

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, that means that there's nothing going on between us," she replied, slightly annoyed with his line of questioning.

"Bullshit," he shot back.

"Mike," her voice warned.

He shook his head. "Listen, I know that we don't exactly know each other very well, and I don't know what goes on in your life or whatever, but it's obvious that there's something really…big going on with the two of you, and I know that you're engaged to some guy that everyone hates and apparently, from what I heard, treats you like complete shit, but everyone can tell you and Stu belong together," he said. "And I'm really not trying to put my nose where it doesn't belong. Honestly. I just feel bad that you two always seem so miserable whenever you're apart."

Ryleigh shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You're lying to me."

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this."

"So, you're just gonna silently mope over him and pretend that there's nothing wrong with you? Things were up and down yesterday with the two of you in the airport and on the plane. Then, you stayed in his room last night, and today, I find you in hallway with your bags, about to find a different room to stay in. Come on, Ry. I might not be a genius, but I'm not stupid."

Ryleigh increased her speed on the treadmill, so she was running, opting to ignore Mike, who was trying to be the wise man here. Her situation was much too complicated for her to get into with Mike right now. She was trying to focus on her running and breathing, instead of his questions and especially, Stu.

"He's still staring at you," he told her.

"Honestly? Shut up about him already," she demanded, roughly smacking the red stop button and hopping off of the treadmill, in frustration. Ryleigh took a long drink from her water bottle.

Mike walked over to her. "I know you're engaged, but it's okay to fall in love with someone else, if it's the real deal. It happens, you know? Sometimes it takes meeting someone else to make you realize what you need and what you're missing. And if that's what happened, then, that's okay, Ryleigh."

"I'm in love with George."

"If by George, you mean Stu…"

"I don't."

"Then, you're lying to yourself."

"No, I'm not. I'm gonna marry George." Stu walked passed her as she said that. He took a deep breath and looked hurt.

"How can you say that when you know it's not true?" "It is true."

"On opposite day? Sure."

"I'm going to the locker room. I can't concentrate," she mumbled, walking away from Mike.

* * *

When Ryleigh finally got out of the locker room shower, she threw on a pair of short denim shorts, a fitted black WWE t-shirt and a pair of black flip flops. Her hair was tossed up in a clip, her hot pink and black gym bag slung over her shoulder. She waited outside of the men's locker room for Mike to come out.

When he got out, dressed in a pair of jeans and an I'm Awesome t-shirt, Ryleigh noticed they had company walking towards them. "Stu," she spoke, noticing him walk towards the locker room.

"You move on quickly, don't you, Ryleigh?" he growled, his eyes burning into her, a contortion of hurt and anger behind them..

Mike looked confused about what that meant, as he stood in front of Stu. "Hey man, wait a second, here. First of all, there's nothing going on between Ryleigh and me, except that I've been hounding her to tell me what's going on with you two because you both look miserable when you aren't together. Secondly, what the hell is going on here, between you two? You're being a total dick to the woman that everyone knows you've got it bad for, and she looks heartbroken."

"Mind your business."

"Listen, I found her in the hallway with her things packed, having no idea where she was gonna go, and it obviously has something to do with this newfound dickhead attitude you've got going on. And I know that you don't owe me a damn thing, but considering the relationship you two have had, I'd recommend fixing this now. The last thing anyone wants is to see her upset," Mike warned.

Ryleigh bit her bottom lip. Her eyes were full of tears. "Mike, just don't…"

"No. I will, actually. I know I've been a real pain in the ass with the whole hitting on you all of the time bit, but I don't want to see you upset, and you obviously are. Now, Stu, I'm telling you that you don't want to be the one who hurts her because it will not end well for you. Consider yourself lucky that practically everyone in the entire world wants this woman, and you're the one who clearly has her. Don't hurt her," Mike defended her.

"Honestly, she's only upset because of her own decisions," he retorted, clearly still hostile towards her.

"Don't be a douche bag," Mike shot. "Come on, Ry. Let's go back upstairs." He gently guided her, placing a hand on the middle of her back, leading her out of the gym. Stu leaned his back against the wall and breathed deeply, his hands on his hips. He slowly shook his head, not knowing what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to see her upset. That made him feel so much worse, but he also didn't want to end up being hurt because she was going to end up married to George. It didn't matter that he told her that he loved her. She was someone else's future wife. And he couldn't do a thing about it.

Meanwhile, Ryleigh was doing her best to not cry, after the little run-in with Stu. Mike wrapped an arm around her, as they waited for an elevator. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I honestly don't know what's been going on. There's a lot of tension between the two of you, and I wish things weren't like this. I don't want to see you upset. You're much too beautiful to be upset," he said, not trying to hit on her but trying to be a good friend.

She shook her head. "It's just stupid…this whole thing."

"If it makes you this upset, then it obviously isn't stupid. Seriously," he told her, feeling badly that she was so torn up over this Stu stuff.

"It is stupid." The elevator doors opened, and the pair walked in, as the doors closed behind them.

"It's not," he insisted.

"Mike, I fucked up. This is all my fault," he told him.

"No, it isn't."

"You don't understand."

"No, you're right. I don't."

"Mike, I slept with Stu last night," she admitted, her voice cracking, as she admitted the truth.

"Whoa. Really?" he asked, not believing what he just heard. He knew there was something going on, but he thought it was just a culmination of sexual tension and a line that both parties were afraid to cross. He didn't think that line had already been crossed. This was a much bigger deal than he had previously realized.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"So, what's the problem, then? He's got it bad for you. He should be happy about it," Mike pointed out.

Ryleigh sighed. She figured she may as well explain the entire situation, since he knew the climactic event, pun intended. "Okay, well, we slept together last night. Things were great this morning. I mean, really great. George called me this morning. And it wasn't exactly a pleasant phone call. In fact, I ended up hanging up on him. Stu was in the shower. I got in next to him, and he pretty much kicked me out because of the whole George thing," she explained, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Oh…"

The elevator doors opened, and the two walked down the hallway. He led her to his room, and let them in.

"Ryleigh, I'm really sorry about all of this. This whole situation is just one big mess," he apologized.

"This is my fault. I just don't know what to do about it," she told him, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Well, what do you want? Do you want to be with George? Do you want to marry him? Or do you want Stu?"

"Mike, I love George. I really do. We've been together for a while, and we've been through a lot together. At one point in our relationship, I wanted nothing more than to marry him," she said.

"I feel a 'but' coming on."

"But…I just…Mike, I'm falling for Stu…so hard," she admitted. "He just…he makes me feel things I've never felt before, and he makes me feel comfortable and happy and…I'm just okay when I'm with him, you know?"

"So, then, go and be with him. Ry, you have to do what makes you the happiest, and if being with Stu is what makes you happy, and your engagement to George doesn't, then end the damn engagement and be with Stu," Mike told her, as if it was the easiest thing in the world for her to do..

"It's not so easy, Mike…"

"Because you're not making it easy for yourself. It might be hard for you to hurt George because you're such a sweet person, and I'm sure the last thing you want to do is hurt anyone. But he doesn't exactly seem like he's some doting boyfriend," he told her. "And anyone can see that Stu is crazy about you. And to be honest, it isn't one-sided. I can see that in the way you look at him. I know that it's hard because you don't want to hurt George, but you deserve to be happy, Ry. You deserve that regardless of what George wants or what Stu wants. It should be about what you want."

"I know. I just feel like…I dunno. So much is changing in my life right now between the new job and things with George are just getting so much harder, and he's changed so much, for the worse. It's hard to figure out what I'm supposed to do. I don't know if I'm feeling this way because of the stress of what's going on, or if I'm feeling this way because my feelings have genuinely changed," she said, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Listen, Ryleigh, you're in a tough spot, absolutely. But you can't worry about making everyone happy. Your main concern has to be your happiness. Not George's. Not Stu's. But your own. I know I can tell you this a million times, but you need to realize how important it really is."

She nodded. "You're right," she sighed.

"You're more than welcome to stay in here with me, but I think you need to talk to Stu," he suggested.

"But he-"

"No. Don't do any of that 'but he won't listen to me' bullshit. You can make him listen to you. And if anyone can do that, we both know that it's you. The guy clearly loves you," he said, shaking his head.

She shrugged. "I dunno."

"Ryleigh," he said, his voice warning her.

"When he's back in his room, maybe I can talk to him before we go to the show," she offered

"Okay," he replied. Mike, then, got up and opened the hotel room door, leaning against the door frame.

"What are you doing?" Ryleigh asked, furrowing her brow.

"I'm just gonna stand here and wait for Stu," he casually replied, as he folded his arms across her chest.

"Mike, don't do that," she told him.

"Ryleigh, it's happening. I haven't known you for very long, but I like to consider you a friend already. The absolute last thing I'm going to deal with is my friend being upset because of guy problems, especially a problem that has an easy fix. So, I'm gonna stand here until he gets out of that elevator, and I'm gonna make him talk to you, and then, you're gonna talk to him. After that, problem solved."

"You don't have to do this," she said.

"I know I don't have to, but I am."

She stood up and walked over to him slowly. Mike uncrossed his arms and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her face into his chest, as he hugged her against his body. She wrapped her arms around him.

"You really are awesome," she said, looking up at him with a smile. "You barely know me, but you really do care."

"Of course I care, Ry. You're a cool chick. Go relax. I'm gonna take care of finding your man."

She nodded, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, before she walked over to the beige couch, opting to sit down and pull out her cell phone, texting Justin about some of the projects she was involved in. He was in New York City, taking care of some of her business ventures and a slew of meetings, before he'd be meeting her on the road again next week. She was grateful that while Justin was gone, she was able to find a friend in Mike.

* * *

"Stu," Mike said, walking over to the bigger man, as he finally got off of the elevator, a good twenty minutes after he's set up shop against the door frame. The door to the room closed behind him.

"What?" Stu replied with an eye roll.

"You need to talk to Ryleigh," he began.

"Give me a break. Why are you getting yourself involved in my business?" he asked, bringing a hand onto his hip.

"Because the woman that's in that room is absolutely crazy about you, and you need to sort this whole mess out with her. She wants you, man. She doesn't want George," he explained to him.

"And how do you know this?" he asked, unconvinced.

"She told me about her feelings for you," he answered. "The girl is falling for you…hard, and unless you don't want to be with her, I suggest that you talk to her. Let's be honest with each other, the last thing you want is to lose that, if it means anything to you at all."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do, actually. I know it for a fact."

"How?"

"Just take a look at her. She's a complete mess in there. She wants you. Seriously, man. When she talks about you…she gets this look in her eyes. It's so obvious that she wants you and only you. She's just afraid of hurting George."

Stu rolled his eyes. "The last thing she should worry about is hurting that bloody wanker. She should be much more concerned with me hurting that manky pissant," Stu growled, his voice clearly very angry.

"I get it. You don't like her fiancée. I don't blame you for that. But if you care about her, you have to focus on her and not the whole thing with George. That's only gonna cause more problems.."

"First off, it's a lot more than not liking that son of a bitch. I could kill him, and I would never regret it, either, even if I was in jail for the rest of my life for doing it. Secondly, if I keep doing this…whatever it is with her…it's only going to make her life more complicated, and she doesn't need that right now."

"That's true. Because there's only one thing that she needs, and that's you. So quit being a jackass and talk to her."

Stu glared at Mike, not speaking. Though Stu was very intimidating, Mike refused to back down. It wasn't about him. It was about his friend, and though Mike could be the world's biggest pain in the ass, he was very loyal to his friends. He returned the glare, until Stu finally spoke. "Okay," he finally gave in, knowing damn well that he wasn't going to be able to brush Mike off as easily as he had wanted to.

"Thank you." Mike walked over to the door and pulled the keycard out of his pocket. He unlocked the door, pushing it open. "Ryleigh," he called, motioning her to come over. She glanced up from the couch and walked over to him.

"What's up, Mike?" she asked, her eyes still sad.

"You need to talk to Stu," he told her, pointing to the Brit that standing outside of the room.

"Um…okay…" her voice sounded nervous. The reluctance in her eyes and voice made Stu feel badly about brushing her off and hurting her earlier. Ryleigh's eyes looked up at him. That spark was missing. His face softened slightly, and he extended his arm, encouraging her to come with him.

"Come here, sweetheart," he spoke softly, wanting her to just relax when she was with him. She walked over to him, and Stu wrapped his extended arm around her shoulders, bringing her body against his. He loved that feeling he got when he was near her. It didn't matter that things were strained between the two. He still was so in love with her that nothing else really mattered to him. "Let's go talk in our room." He led her down to the room, as Mike shut the door to his. Her eyes briefly meeting his, before he shut the door.

Stu opened the door and led her inside. She was silent, as her heart was pounding in her chest. She was afraid of what was about to happen. Would he break her heart? Would things get better between them? She didn't know, and not knowing was absolutely destroying her.

Stu shut the door, facing it for a few moments, before turning around, as he collected his thoughts. Ryleigh was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes focused on the floor. He felt responsible for the pain etched on her face. He slowly ambled over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"Ryleigh, I love you. Truly, I do. And I know that I acted like a complete arse this morning in the shower. But it's because I'm jealous of your relationship with George. I'm not usually like this, especially not over a woman, but you've got me acting completely different than I usually do. I'm just…I usually…" Stu sighed, unsure of exactly what to say. He took a deep breath and began to speak again, "I don't like not being in control. And with you, sweetheart, I don't have any control, whatsoever. It's really hard for me to handle that. I can't control how I feel. I can't control our…our inability to really be together, the way that I want us to be with each other. I've been trying so hard since we met to just be able to control myself, and last night, that was all shot to shit. I can't control myself anymore. I don't know how to, at this point. I just love you so much, and I'm so afraid that I'm going to lose you. And if that happens, it'll just destroy me."

"Stu, I don't want to be with George anymore. I don't feel for him what I feel for you anymore. I want you. I love you. I don't want to fight with you. It's just hard for me to do this to George," she explained, her voice low.

"You think he gives a shit? Other than the fact that his cash cow would be gone, George couldn't care less. He doesn't love you. He loves the idea that he's engaged to the most beautiful, extraordinarily famous actress and model, Ryleigh Denning. I love Ryleigh, the sweet, funny, adorable, smart woman who makes my heart go crazy. And you should be with me, not him."

"Stu, I…I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't want to be with anyone but you. After last night, everything became so much clearer to me. I love George, I do, but that pales in comparison to what we've got."

"So, be with me," he whispered.

"Just give me a little while to get everything sorted out with him," she requested. "Okay?"

Stu sighed. "Okay. But until you two are over, we can't be together anymore," he said. "It's just too hard to know that I can hold you in my arms, but that douche bag is the one who's still engaged to you."

Ryleigh nodded slowly. "I guess that means I'll go back to Mike's room, then," she said, her voice dry. She stood up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him. She quickly pulled herself up. "Don't make this harder. This is what you want, Stu, and you're right. I can't be with you until George and I are over. It's not fair to you. And it's not fair to George, either."

"Forget it. I can't not be with you."

"Stu, please."

He looked down and nodded. "Fine," he relented, letting go of her. She stood in front of him. She brought a hand to his face, lifting his head so he was looking at her. He looked upset. She felt her chest tighten, as she was about to cry. He took her hand in hers, placing a kiss on her knuckles. "I love you, Ryleigh, and I want to be with you."

She pulled her hand away from him and left the room in a hurry, shutting the door behind her and running to Mike's room, practically pounding on the door. "Please, let me in," she begged.

The door opened, and Mike looked completely confused. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried about her, as he pulled her into the room, shutting the door.

"I love him, but I can't be with him until things with George are over, and it kills me because I'm afraid to leave George."

"Why are you afraid to leave him? He's a dick, isn't he? That should make it a little easier to dump his ass."

"You don't understand."

"The only reason I wouldn't understand is because you're not telling me something," he pointed out.

"There's a lot you don't know, but…I just can't talk about it right now," she said, the tears finally falling down her face.

"Ryleigh…" He pulled her into his arms, as she began sobbing. He gently rubbed her back, slightly confused as to what was making her so upset. He could understand the stuff with Stu being a bit stressful, but there was an easy fix to that whole issue. That was ending her relationship with George.

"I can't…"

"Can't what?"

"I can't do this. I need to break up with George. I don't want to hurt him, but I need to end it. Now."

"Okay. So, after the show tonight, fly to see him, end it, and then, that'll be the end of everything," he told her.

She nodded. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."

A smile formed on Mike's face. At least things would be fixed soon enough. He wouldn't have to deal with her being upset anymore, and that was what he cared most about. He hated seeing this woman cry.

Ryleigh knew that breaking up with George wouldn't be easy, but she needed to do it for her own sanity. She needed to be with Stu, and that was all that mattered to her anymore. Within the next twenty-four hours or so, she would no longer be engaged to George, and she would be free to be with Stu. That was a lot to look forward to…as long as everything went as planned.

* * *

**A/N: So0o0o I'm sure we all know this whole break up thing is gonna go oh so well for Ryleigh.**

**I'm stuck at home on New Year's Eve, thanks to the nice stomach virus I've had since Wednesday. So, that's a whole lot of fun. The boyfriend went away skiing, I got to miss the Smackdown house show in Jersey that I had tickets for, and I'm stuck in bed, unable to eat :o( I must admit, I'm quite unlucky. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the update! Please, let me know what you think of it, while I'm laying here, bored out of my mind, watching Law and Order on Netflix lol Love you guys! Everyone have a safe and happy New Year! I love you all soooooo much! XoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	9. Chapter 9

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin. One day, that will change, and I will own one of the gorgeous men in the this story, but until then, I will stick to what I've got.**

* * *

Ryleigh glanced down at her cell phone anxiously, noting that she still had another half an hour until she had to leave for the airport. Mike was going to drive her there in the car that he had rented. She hadn't yet gotten a chance to tell Stu about her plans to fly out to Los Angeles. Finding herself becoming antsy and unable to relax, she decided to tell him. It would help pass the time until she and Mike would leave, and it would give her a chance to spend some time with Stu. Standing up, while sliding the key card to the room that Mike had given her, into the pocket of her dark denim skinny jeans, Ryleigh quickly left the room. She walked down a few doors, until she arrived at Stu's room. She knocked on the door.

A few moments later, it opened. Stu was shirtless, with a pair of jeans on. His hair was wet, making it obvious to her that he had just gotten out of the shower. Her eyes widened, not expecting the pleasant sight she was greeted with. "Ryleigh," he spoke, seemingly surprised to see her.

"Hi," she greeted him shyly. She blushed upon the realization that she was staring at him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Can we talk for a minute?" she asked him.

"Sure, come on in," he invited her with a smile. Ryleigh entered his room. Stu closed the door behind her and turned around, his eyes focusing on the young woman in front of him, with whom he was infatuated. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he questioned her, curiously.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm flying to LA in a little while," she told him, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his bare torso.

"For what?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Well, I want to go there to end things with George," she replied, a smile on her face, as she placed an affectionate kiss on his chest, while breathing his fresh scent in. Stu wrapped his arms around her and felt himself overcome with happiness.

"And Mike is going to be there with you?" he asked her, a small smile playing on his lips, as the possibility of being with Ryleigh was quickly becoming a reality. He couldn't believe his luck.

"No. I'm going alone," she replied.

His face fell. "Why would you go and do something like that?" he asked her in slight disbelief.

"Because I can handle this, Stu. I'll be back tonight," she assured him, though he wasn't convinced.

"No. You can't go there alone. That's a terrible idea, Ryleigh. Someone who doesn't seem to have a problem with hitting you when he doesn't get his way, certainly won't hesitate to escalate his violent tendencies, if his fiancée breaks up their relationship," he warned her. "And I'm not going to stand by and let that happen to you."

"Don't worry. I'll be okay." It actually made her feel good to know that he cares so much about her well-being.

"I am worried. Really worried, actually. I don't trust him being alone with you," he sharply spoke. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Ry." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Nothing is gonna happen to me," she continued trying to reassure him that everything would be fine. He shook his head.

"I'll go with you," he offered.

"Absolutely not. He already thinks that there's something going on between the two of us. If I show up with you, that'll really just set him off, and I'm sure it won't end well," she tried reasoning with him.

There was another knock on the hotel room door. "Well, I seem to be the popular one today," he commented.

Stu let go of Ryleigh and pulled on a black t-shirt, as he walked over to see who was knocking at the door. Upon opening it, George stormed into the room. "Where the fuck is she?" he yelled, barging in passed Stu. "There you are, you little fucking bitch." He roughly grabbed her by the arm, yanking her against him. "I fucking knew you were cheating on me with this cocksucker!" he roared.

"Hold it!" Stu yelled. "Get your hands off of her, right now."

"Don't you tell me what to do. You're the fucking asshole banging my fiancée!" George yelled.

"George, get the fuck off of me!" Ryleigh yelled, trying to pull out of the strong grip he had on her arm.

"Get off of her!" Stu demanded, walking over to George, trying desperately to control his temper, as he was about to punch him.

"Fuck you!" He turned to Ryleigh. "We need to have a little chat," he spat, attempting to drag her out of the room by the arm he was gripping. He had a tight grasp on her, and she knew that he was going to leave a mark with that kind of hold. Stu jumped in his way, refusing to let him take her anywhere he was going, especially when he was so mad. There was no way in hell he was going to let that fly.

"You're not going anywhere with her!" Stu interjected.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do with her. She's mine, not yours," George retorted.

"Don't you dare speak about Ryleigh like she's your possession. Now, I'm warning you, let go of her arm right now because you don't want to have to deal with the consequences of not listening," he growled, through gritted teeth, his eyes burning into the man he hated probably more than anyone else in the entire world. He couldn't believe he was actually being violent right there in front of him.

"Fuck off, you stupid piece of shit. You're the one who's trying to take Ryleigh away from me."

Seeing he wasn't paying attention to her, as he was arguing with Stu, Ryleigh elbowed George in the ribs roughly, causing him to let go of her momentarily, while he brought his hands onto the offended area. Stu placed his hand on her shoulder and quickly, though gently, pushed her behind him, protectively, not wanting George to go after her when he regained his composure. George stood right up to the taller man. "I suggest you get out of here, right now," Stu warned him.

George cocked his arm back and threw his clenched fist forward. Stu blocked it, as he had a feeling that he was planning on trying to hit him. He roughly grabbed his arm. Stu used his free arm to throw a punch of his own at Ryleigh's fiancée. This fist successfully connected with its intended target, as George was knocked out onto the ground, clearly out cold, allowing Ryleigh and Stu a moment to figure out what to do, before he came to. She leaned her body against his back, her fingers gripping the shirt he had on.

Stu let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in and turned to Ryleigh, pulling her into his arms, more protective than affectionate. "That's exactly what I didn't want you going to see him alone."

"What the hell just happened in here?" Mike yelled, running into the room, followed by David, PJ and Randy Orton, as the three other men had heard the commotion coming from the Brit's room.

"George showed up," Stu told him. "Can you guys do me a favor and watching him? I need to get Ryleigh out of here."

"We've got this," Randy assured him.

"Go to our room," Mike told her, as the four men surrounded George. Stu took her hand, and the two left the room.

"Stu, I never told him where I was staying," Ryleigh said, as she pulled out the keycard from her pocket and handed it to him, as her hands were shaking. Stu took it from her and opened the door. The pair entered the room, and he shut and locked the door behind them. "You believe me, right?"

"Of course, I do. Are you okay?" he protectively asked, gently taking the arm George had grabbed in his hand and examining it.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just…shocked…and…shaken up, I guess," she told him. Stu pulled her into his arms, hugging her.

"When he grabbed you, I was honestly scared," he admitted. "I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm okay," she reassured him. She shut her eyes tightly, as the tears finally began falling down her face.

Upon realizing that she was crying, Stu held her closer to him and began gently rubbing her back. "Please don't cry, sweetheart. It's okay. Everything will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Ever," he promised her. "No one will ever hurt you. I swear my life on it. I will do whatever I have to to protect you."

When George came to, he was surrounded by four men, all of whom he recognized as Ryleigh's co-workers.

"Where the fuck is that British son of a bitch?" he yelled, standing up. Randy put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, there, tough guy," he warned, narrowing his eyes at the man that he knew was really bad news, solely from what he had been told by David and Stu, having never met the man before.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? And where is Ryleigh? I know she's banging that goofy motherfucker!"

"First of all, the two of them are just good friends, but that's only because she's engaged to you. They would probably be together, if she wasn't with your stupid ass. The problem with that is that you don't appreciate her the way that you should. Secondly, we all know how badly you want to control her, but being here has given Ryleigh a whole new support system, and we've got her back, no matter what happens," David warned George, cracking his knuckles, threateningly.

"Fuck you. The only reason you even have a career is because you're with Jen!" George shot back at him.

David laughed bitterly. "That's the pot calling the kettle black, now isn't it, George? Because the only reason that your little group has gotten on in the mainstream music world and out of the Myspace-only crowd is because you're riding on Ryleigh's coattails," he retorted with a smirk.

"Fuck you."

"Thank you for taking care of this situation, gentlemen," Stu spoke, his voice sounding more like his alter ego, Wade Barrett, than Stu Bennett, at the moment. "Michael, if you could please do me a big favor and keep Ryleigh company for the time being, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Absolutely." Mike left the room.

"If you three could go with him, I'd also appreciate that," he spoke clearly, his eyes glued to George.

"I'm gonna stay," Randy spoke. "Just in case."

"Actually, there are some pressing matters that I need to discuss with Mr. Ragan, here, that I'd rather not be overheard by anyone else," Stu explained.

"Okay. I'll be outside of the door, if you need me, then."

"Thank you."

The group of men left the room, with Randy quietly closing the door behind himself, as Stu continued staring at George, as he crossed his arms over his chest. Stu was especially grateful that he had worked on his arms at the gym earlier that morning. It made them look slightly more intimidating than they normally were. And intimidating was definitely what he was aiming for. Once he heard the door shut, he spoke again. "Sit down, Georgie Boy. We have a lot to discuss."

"Fuck you, you stupid son of a bitch."

"First of all, I'm a bit bigger than you. I'm certainly a lot stronger than you are, and I will not hesitate to hurt you very badly. Secondly, don't you dare talk about my mother that way. She's a very sweet, lovely woman and certainly not at all a bitch. Now, sit down," he sneered. "Don't make me force you to listen to me."

"I'd rather stand," George defiantly spoke. "I don't have to do anything that you say. You're fucking my fiancée."

"Ryleigh and I aren't fucking each other," he insisted. He reasoned with himself that he wasn't lying because they weren't fucking. It was a lot more than that. "But this isn't about me. It's about you. What in the bloody hell makes you think it's okay for you to put your hands on her?" he asked.

"Oh big fucking deal. I grabbed the cheating whore's arm," he shot with a roll of his eyes.

"Repeatedly. And you've hit her."

"Who told you that?" George asked, getting angry.

"I'm a fucking clairvoyant, George. Who the fuck do you think told me about what you did to her?" he growled, wanting to punch this man in the face again. Once was definitely not enough.

"That bitch is a liar. She's just trying to make you feel bad for her."

Stu shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, I do."

"Here's the deal. You will leave this hotel, and you will never speak to or about Ryleigh ever again," Stu instructed him, sternly. "Her publicist will release some generic statement about how the two of you have parted ways on amicable terms and all that nonsense about supporting each other in all future endeavors. Quite frankly, I don't care what bollocks she comes up with. And you will leave her alone. Forever."

George shook his head adamantly. "No fucking way. I'm going to marry her. I get it. You're jealous of me. I don't blame you at all. She's really fucking hot. Everyone knows it. But she's mine, and I love her. I'm not giving her up because of some jealous douchebag," he refused.

"If you truly loved her, you would have never laid your hands on her the way you have. If you truly loved her, you would have shown her nothing but support and love when she signed with the WWE. If you truly loved her, you would respect her. But you don't do any of that, do you? You don't love Ryleigh, and you never have. So, don't you try to play this pathetic game with me. You will leave her alone, and you will never bother her again," Stu insisted, his voice firm and clear.

"And what if I don't?" George asked.

"Do you know what I did before I was a professional wrestler?" Stu asked wit ha smirk, as he took a step closer to George.

"What?"

"I was a bare knuckle boxer," he informed him. "That means that I can beat the living shit out of you with little to no effort on my part. So, if you would like to test me, then be my guest, but it won't bode very well for you."

"You can't try to threaten me into ending my engagement. If Ryleigh wants to break up with me, she can do it on her own…without your big fucking head butting into our business," he shot back.

"George, I'm trying to be civil. If you'd prefer that I bear that piss out of you, I would be more than happy to accommodate you," Stu warned him. "You will not be alone with Ryleigh under any circumstances. I'm never going to let you lay so much as an angry finger on her again. Mark my words, you will never hurt her again. Do I make myself clear?" he forcefully asked.

George laughed bitterly. "Go fuck yourself. Stay the fuck away from my fiancée. I'm not fucking afraid of you, and I can make one call and my boys will back me up," he challenged him.

"I'll destroy the lot of you. So, please don't think you're obliging me by not calling them. Anyone who would back up a waste of skin like yourself, deserves to be beaten within an inch of his life," Stu retorted, not willing to back down, especially not when it came to defending Ryleigh's honor.

"So, I'll call them," he said with a shrug.

"Be my guest," he invited. "Call them." Stu folded his arms over his chest, calling his bluff.

George rolled his eyes, knowing full well that George was never gonna call anyone. "You're so big and tough, aren't you? I bet you could never make Ryleigh scream like I can," he sneered, trying to get a rise out of Stu.

"No. You're right. I'd never make her feel the pain that you've inflicted on her," he quipped.

"I meant sexually."

"Obviously. But clearly that point is just ridiculous. I can do things to her that you never could because I know how to treat a woman properly."

"Bullshit. You're not man enough."

"Well, that's your opinion, and quite frankly, you're very wrong. But I am warning you, if you hurt so much as a single hair on her head ever again, you'll experience first hand just how manly my fist is. Because it will undoubtedly be shoved so far down your throat, I'll be able to prepare your stomach as your own coffin," Stu promised through gritted teeth, as he felt his temper flaring.

"Quite defensive of her, huh? And you're telling me that you're not fucking her?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"No, I'm not fucking her. But you know what? Unlike you, you pathetic twat, I'm in love with her, and I'm just completely gobsmacked as to how someone so beautiful and sweet and smart and caring and as deserving of happiness as Ryleigh is, has ended up with a skanky knob head such as yourself."

George laughed. "You're reaching way too high. Ryleigh is way out of your league," he spat. "You don't stand a chance with her."

"Maybe so, but clearly I'm a much better choice than the miserable sod that you are, and you're the one who's engaged to her. So, it would seem that my odds are pretty good, actually," he quipped with a smirk.

"I'm still the one marrying her. You'll never be with her. And she definitely doesn't want to be with you."

"I think she can decided for herself."

"Fine. Get her in here. If Ryleigh wants you, then, she can go ahead and be my guest," George invited.

"Absolutely. If Ryleigh doesn't want to be with me, I would never force her to do something she didn't want to do. And if she does want to be with you, then, that's her decision, but so help me God, I will be watching you," he warned.

There was a sudden ruckus outside of the room that the two men were arguing in. Stu ran to the door, throwing it open, worried that something was going on with Ryleigh. It seemed that Layla and the object of his affection were yelling at each other in the hallway…well, more like Layla was yelling at Ryleigh. Randy was standing behind her, ready to defend her, as it seemed that the short British woman was ready to attack her at any second, and the Viper was on Ryleigh's side.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, just coming here and starting problems? Stu doesn't care about you! You're just the shiny new toy for everyone to ogle over!" Layla yelled at her. "If your boyfriend hurts him, I will hurt you."

Ryleigh gave her a confused look. "What are you going on about? This whole thing has nothing to do with you, Layla," she shot back, not willing to let the British woman butt into her business.

"Stu is my friend, you little slut!" Layla yelled, getting in her face. "And you may be all over him and Mike, but neither of them will ever care about you!"

Stu immediately stood in between the two women. "Layla, what in the hell are you doing?" he calmly asked her.

"This skank is starting problems, and she's dragging you into her mess," she replied, glaring at the newcomer to the company.

"Layla, Ryleigh hasn't gotten me involved in any mess. Anything that I'm involved in is by my own choice. And while I do appreciate you defending me, there's no need to worry yourself with it. You're not involved with this at all, and you shouldn't be trying to fight any battles that you think are mine," he spoke, matter of factly.

Layla looked slightly insulted but continued on her tirade anyway. "Well, you shouldn't be wasting your time with some engaged whore with more baggage than a Louie Vuitton factory!" she yelled.

"I'll decide how I spend my time, as well as who I choose to spend my own time with," he replied, not liking the tone she was taking.

"You're being so dense, Stu! Ryleigh is using you like you're a toy. She's playing you," Layla insisted.

Stu rolled her eyes. "If she wants to play me, then, she's more than welcome to," he told her, starting to get really annoyed.

"She's caused nothing but problems for you since she came here!"

Ryleigh looked up at Stu. "That's true," she said, nodding, a pained look residing in her eyes.

"No, Ryleigh. Don't listen to Layla. She doesn't know anything about the situation," Stu dismissed the fellow Brit.

"No. She is right, Stu. I've caused nothing but problems for you since I came here," she said. "George, just…stop being a dick to Stu already. Take it out on me, if you're gonna be an asshole to anyone. Not him. He hasn't done anything wrong to anyone," Ryleigh spoke, her voice low.

Layla smirked. "At least she knows that she's nothing but a troublemaking slut," she quipped.

"Layla, do me a favor, please, and butt the fuck out already," Ryleigh snapped, silencing the other woman, as she felt herself slowly start to lose control over her anger. "George, let's go have a talk about this…away from this crowd," she said, walking down the hallway, hanging her head.

"I told you that she'd stick with me and not go to you," George smugly taunted the much bigger man.

Ryleigh violently whipped her head around to face him, her eyes burning into his head. "Shut the fuck up, George," she scolded. She was upset and angry. She was in no mood for his shenanigans.

George followed Ryleigh down the hall. She hit the down button for the elevator. Ryleigh folded her arms across her chest. "Baby," he said, softly, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Get the hell off of me," she snapped at him, immediately shrugging his arms off of her body.

"What? I'm trying not to fight with you. I'm trying to be nice. You're the one who should be sucking up to me."

"You have a lot of fucking nerve pulling this bullshit," Ryleigh spat, trying desperately to control her anger, though she didn't think she would be able to control herself for too much longer. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside, followed by George. She pushed the button for the ground floor. The doors shut, leaving the engaged couple alone in the small confines of the elevator car.

"What is your problem, Ry? You're the one that's going behind my back and banging Stu, and you're giving me the attitude. Please explain to me how that makes any sense," George stated.

"I'm not banging Stu, you fucking moron. I don't know where the fuck you're getting your information from, but whoever it is…is a fucking idiot who doesn't know a Goddamned thing about what's going on here. And you're a complete jackass for believing everything that you're being told."

"Trust me, my source is very reliable," he replied, a smug smirk on his face.

"How did you know that I was here?" Ryleigh asked.

George stared at her blankly. "What does that even matter?" he asked her, not wanting to answer that question.

"It matters. How the fuck did you know where I was staying?" she yelled, repeating her question.

The elevator doors opened. Ryleigh stormed out into the hotel lobby, as George followed. They walked outside of the back door, making their way into the courtyard. There was no one out there, much to Ryleigh's relief. The last thing she needed was this argument between George and herself detailed in every magazine and newspaper for the next two weeks. That was one downside to being so famous. Everything she did was watched under a microscope by the entire world.

"Answer my question, George," she demanded.

"You told me…"

"You're a fucking liar," she growled. "I know for a fact that you couldn't have been told by me. Because I never told you where I was for a fucking reason. So, either you're stalking me, which is illegal, and I can have you put in jail for it. Or your little anonymous, asshole source told you. Now, tell me: who the fuck told you where I was staying? You couldn't have found out by calling. Hell, I'm not even registered here. They had no rooms available and lost my reservations. Mike was letting me room with him while we're staying here. So, for what I think is the twentieth fucking time already, who told you that I was staying here?" she demanded, furiously. Ryleigh knew he was purposely avoiding giving her an answer, but it was infuriating to her to have to repeat herself so many times.

"None of your business. You know, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you're banging Stu and Mike."

"Bullshit. You know, George, I've fucking had it with you. You have done nothing but treat me like shit for much too long now. And I'm just so sick and tired of dealing with it! You act like you're the greatest guy on earth, but you're always fighting with me. You're always yelling and-"

"And you thought it was necessary to tell your little fucking boyfriend that I hit you? Are you out of your fucking mind? You don't go whining and bitching to some other guy about how hard you have it with me. You're just an ungrateful bitch. No one wants to be with you, besides me."

"That's horseshit, and you know it. There are plenty of people who would want to be with me. And I'm sure that there are plenty of people who would want to be with you…except they wouldn't want to be with you when they realize that you're such a prick all of the time," she quipped.

"I can't believe you."

"What can't you believe?"

"You're acting like you're such a victim."

"Okay, first of all, anything that has happened to me at your hands, though someone might think it makes me a victim, really just makes me an idiot. I'm an idiot because I stuck with you after everything you did to me. You've just gotten more violent with me every time you've gotten mad at me about something new."

"And you didn't deserve it?"

"No. There's no reason why it's okay for you to hit me. You've never trusted me. You've never supported me. You've always picked a fight with me in front of everyone, trying to make me look bad. But everyone knows that you're a piece of shit. Tony saw the handprint on my face from when you slapped me. And let's not even get into the time that I was crying and begging you not to leave me, and how did you react? You threw me on the floor and left my house because I guess I just wasn't important enough to you. Trust me, you're not seen as this wonderful guy who got stuck with some whore bitch," she replied. "Everyone can see right through this little act of yours."

"I…" He shook his head slowly. "What do you want from me, Ry? Seriously, what do you want?" George asked, clearly defeated.

"I don't know anymore," she replied.

"So what are you saying?"

Ryleigh shook her head. "I don't know."

"Do you not want to be with me anymore? Is it that you don't want to get married anymore? I have to know what you want."

Ryleigh shut her eyes, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks for the second time that day. "I love you, George." She opened her eyes, focusing on the man in front of her. "I do. I love you, but I don't know if I can do this with you anymore."

"Don't do this."

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Because…I…I love you, Ryleigh. And I really do want to marry you…more than anything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know we have more than our fair share of problems, but we can't just walk away from it. We've had good times together. And we can work on the things that need to be fixed. I can be the man you need me to be," he told her, his voice pleading with her.

"No, you can't, George. You've done nothing but hurt me and make me feel like I'm worthless time and time again. And I'm sorry, but there is someone who treats me right. There is someone who cares about me and would do anything for me. He supports me and protects me and worries about me, and he knows when I'm upset, and he does whatever he can to make me feel better about whatever's going wrong," she told him, her voice showing signs of hopefulness, as she wiped her tears away with the backs of her hands. The thought of Stu made this whole situation so much easier to deal with.

"Let me guess, our little Casanova is none other than Stu," George replied with an eye roll.

Ryleigh nodded. "He's been there for me. He's been the kind of person I've needed. He's been such a good friend to me," she whispered.

"Ryleigh…please, don't do this. Just let me fix this. I can fix this. Everything will be fine. We'll be happy."

"Can you answer a question for me?"

"Of course, baby," he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

"Who told you?" she asked.

George shook his head. "Please don't ask me that."

"If you don't answer, this conversation is over," she warned.

He sighed, letting go of Ryleigh. He turned away from her and put his face in his hands, breathing deeply, before turning around. "Alright…um…I was told about the stuff with you and Stu…and I was told where you were staying by…shit. Do I really have to tell you?" he asked with a groan. She nodded. "Fine. It was Layla."

She furrowed her brow, thinking about what her fiancée just said. So many things were running through her head. "Wait a second." She laughed bitterly. "Are you fucking kidding me? Layla? Let me take a little guess, here. That night I was here when you disappeared, you were with her, weren't you?" she asked, in near disbelief, though she really wouldn't put anything passed him.

He slowly nodded. "Yes."

"So, you've been accusing me of fucking around with Stu, when the whole time you were banging Layla?" she shot.

His eyes gave away his guilt. "I'm sorry, Ry. I just…I don't know. I wasn't thinking," he replied.

"You stupidson of a bitch," she muttered, angrily. "I can't believe this. You've been fucking Layla since I first started with this company, and the entire time you've been putting me through hell about Stu. You were fucking around with Layla when you asked me to marry you. And I'm the one who's a whore? You know what, I'm done with this." Ryleigh pulled the engagement ring off of her finger and threw it in George's direction. "You're such an asshole, and you're not worth my time anymore. And knowing the kind of man…no, sorry, the kind of boy you are…you were never worth it to begin with." She turned and began to walk away from him.

George picked up the ring. "Ryleigh, please…" He ran to her and grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving him. She turned around and slapped him right across the face, a fire in her eyes.

"Don't ever touch me again," she demanded. "You son of a bitch. How does it feel to get slapped? Not so great, huh?" Ryleigh pulled out of his grasp and stormed away, back towards the hotel, as George followed her, begging her to stop and just talk to him. He was making a scene, and Ryleigh hated the fact that this would inevitably end up in the tabloids the next day. But that was a headache for another day. She had her headache riding hot on her heels.

As she stormed through the lobby, he was still following her. And she was starting to get fed up. She turned around in the dead center of the busy lobby. "Stop following me, George. We are over. You never deserved me. You deserve that bitch Layla. You can go back to screwing her and leave me the hell alone. I'm not doing this anymore. We are done. Finished. Put a fork in us, we're done!" she yelled at him, attracting the curiosity and stares from the people populating the lobby.

Ryleigh stormed to the elevators and pushed the up button repeatedly, though she knew it wouldn't make it arrive any faster. George was clearly not giving up on her so easily. She folded her arms, impatiently waiting, while she completely ignored her now ex-fiancée, who was begging for her forgiveness.

When the doors opened, she immediately made her way inside and pushed the button for the floor she was staying on, while still being followed by a desperate George. "Please, baby. I love you. I'm sorry. We can work this out. I know we can. We belong together, Ryleigh, please," he begged her.

"You're so full of shit. You're all begging and desperate to be with me now, but if I were to stay with you, it'd go back to the same shit. A scumbag like you doesn't ever change," she spat, her eyes still not looking at him.

"I promise you, everything will be different."

"No way."

"It's because you're in love with that British son of a bitch, isn't it?" he asked, almost accusingly.

"Actually that has nothing to do with not why I'm not forgiving you. I'm not forgiving you because you put me through absolute hell, while you were banging one of my co-workers. You're a real bastard, you know that? And I'm just finished with it. You can really only push me so far, and I'm telling you that you've surpassed the limit of what I'm willing to put up with. So, just leave me the fuck alone. I'm really not in the mood to keep repeating myself to you," she spoke, her voice firm and angry.

"But you don't understand. I told you…"

"You told me what?"

"Not to take this job. I knew it would tear us apart," he said, his voice sorrowful, as he shook his head.

"Uh newsflash, we're not breaking up because of this job. We're over because you've been treating me like shit for way too long, and now I've had it, and I can't stand to even look at you anymore," she informed him. "Then, throw on top of that the fact that you've been fucking that bitch this whole time. I don't know how you can blame anything or anyone other than yourself."

The elevator doors opened, and she stormed out into the hallway, with George still hot on her heels. Stu, Mike, Randy, and Layla were in the hallway, seemingly having a heated conversation.

"Layla, I don't want to hear you bad mouthing Ryleigh again because so help me God, we will have a problem," Stu warned.

"The little slut is still talking about me?" she growled, as she made her way over to the group.

"Oh? I'm the slut?" Layla asked, turning around to face the woman she couldn't stand to look at.

"Well, you were fucking my fiancée," Ryleigh revealed to everyone within earshot, as she shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head.

"What are you talking about?" Layla asked, narrowing her eyes at Ryleigh, placing her hands on her hips, leaning her body forward slightly.

"You thought that he wouldn't tell me?" Ryleigh asked her. "While your little fuck toy was begging me not to end our relationship and telling me how much he loved me and wanted to be with me, he told me the truth. The two of you have been fucking around for quite some time, haven't you? Since the day I had that meeting with Vince when he first asked me about joining the roster, right?" she called Layla out.

"That's bullshit."

"You're a liar," Ryleigh growled. "Now here's how things are going to work. You're going to shut your big mouth and quit talking shit about me every chance you get. You're going to leave me alone and stay the hell out of my life from here on out. If you want to keep fucking George, you're more than welcome to. I threw the ring at him. So, have your way with that asshole. I couldn't give a shit less, but so help me God, if you keep pulling your little stunts to try to make me look bad, even though you're only making yourself like an immature little brat, I will make your life a living hell, and don't you dare test me because I will make good on this promise."

Everyone was completely shocked to see Ryleigh like this. She was always so sweet, always so nonconfrontational. But here she was, damn near ready to punch Layla in the face. It was actually quite impressive. And Stu found it be an incredible turn on to see her acting this way.

"What the hell is going on here?" a voice boomed down the hall.

Vince McMahon stomped over to the angry group of people in the hallway, his brow lowered over his eyes, as he was unsure what the hostility was all about.

"Nothing, Mr. McMahon," Layla innocently replied, trying to look like the good one in the bunch.

Ryleigh laughed bitterly. "You're such a liar." She turned to her boss. "She was banging my piece of shit fiancée, while he was busy accusing me of cheating on him with Stu. It's childish and pathetic, and the two assholes deserve each other. I've had it with her dirty looks and the snickering behind my back. She was butting into my personal business, and now she's high up on my shit list," she explained. "If you'd prefer for me to leave the company, so that you don't have to deal with any problems that she's caused, I'll be more than glad to do so. If not, then, there's nothing more that needs to be discussed, regarding this situation," she spoke, laying her cards out on the table.

Vince cleared his throat, slightly shocked that in the short time Ryleigh was with the company all of this drama managed to unfold, and even more shocked that she was being so ballsy even with him. Normally he would be pissed that one of his employees was acting this way, but with Ryleigh he was intrigued. "Um…Ryleigh, can I speak with you, privately?" he asked her.

"Of course." She followed him to his room, where he let the two in. The door closed behind them.

"Ryleigh, are you okay?" he asked, seeming sympathetic.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Are you sure? If you need me to have actions taken against Layla…"

"No. Not worth it. It really isn't a problem. She just has to learn to shut her mouth. And I'm sorry that I'm not normally so aggressive, but I've just reached my breaking point with George," she explained.

"I've just never seen you like this," he told her.

"I know, and I do apologize."

"Don't. I'm actually really…impressed with this attitude."

A smirk crossed her face. "Impressed? Trust me, this was me not completely flipping out. If I really would have lost it, I would've slapped that short slut across her fat mouth," she told him.

"I want you in the ring."

"What?"

"I want you in the ring," he repeated. "Your aggressive side is what I would like to see on screen. You have this angry look to you that is just…I really think that you can go somewhere with this. I want you training to be in the ring."

"Okay…"

"Have you been working on it?"

"Not really, but I do want to. I know Stu said he was willing to help me out with it," she told him.

"Okay. In that case, we'll start scheduling time for him to train you on some moves. I'll also talk to some of the Divas so that they'll start working on composing some matches with you. The sooner we can get you out there, the better."

"Alright. And if you need me to take on Layla in the ring, trust me, I will be more than willing," she informed him.

Vince smiled. "We'll see what happens. If you need anything, just let me know. I don't need the woman pulling in some of the best ratings I've had in a long time to have to deal with unnecessary drama."

"Oh don't worry about me. I'll be just fine," she confidently replied.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Thank you, Vince," she said, before leaving the room, walking back to the group with a smug smile on her face. "Stu, I want to talk to you for a minute," she said, her eyes still on the jealous Layla.

"Alright," he replied. Stu placed a hand gently on her lower back, guiding her to his room. The two entered the room and shut the door. "Are you okay, Ryleigh?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, I am. I'm better than I've been in quite some time," she replied, giving him a smile. "Vince wants to schedule time for you to train me. Apparently, this pissed off, angry Ryleigh is really appealing to him, and he wants me in the ring."

"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And on top of that, I'm not engaged to that asshole out there anymore. I threw the ring at George. He's banging Layla, and truth be told, I'm not even upset about it. And do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I want you," she replied.

A smirk crossed his lips. "I really like this aggressive Ryleigh," he commented, bringing a hand onto his hip.

"So do I," she agreed, taking a step closer to him, pressing her palms against his chest. His arms circled her waist, holding her to him.

"Are you sure you're okay? I know you said you're fine, but I worry, and what just went on was absolute insanity," he questioned softly.

Ryleigh smiled up at him. "I'm really fine. It had to happen, right? But at least George knows where we stand…which is apart. And Layla, I'll handle her on my own. I'm sure she won't be a problem."

Stu leaned down kissing her head. "Okay."

"I'm sorry I've caused such a headache for you lately."

"First of all, you really haven't. If anything, I've been involving myself in your problems, so it's really not your fault at all. It would be my own fault. Secondly, even if you did cause me so much grief and whatever, you're worth it."

"Why are you so great?"

"Because you make me want to be this way."

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do we continue being affectionate and all, now? Is everything okay between us? I mean, I am single. No more ring on this finger," she said, wiggling her ring finger at him, which was void of the diamonds that had been adorning it for much too long.

"If you still want to start something up with me, I'm more than welcome to that. You know how I feel about you."

"And you know how I feel about you."

Stu smiled and leaned down, giving her a kiss on her lips.

* * *

"This is bullshit. Stu is not supposed to end up with her. He's supposed to be with me," Layla spat, furious. "How the fuck could you tell her about us? What is wrong with you? We had a plan. You keep your bitch, and I get Stu. It would have worked if you didn't open your big mouth while you were crying to her about being in love," she mocked him. "I can't believe you just fucked everything up."

"Oh shut up about it already. It's not like they were going to be with us. They have their heads in the fucking clouds when they're together. They won't last very long, though," George confidently told her, truly believing what he was saying.

"Not if I can help it."

"Same here."

"You know, I think we need to come up with a plan to come in between them, and we need to do it soon. Because you know what's going to happen, right?"

"Yes, I know," he breathed. "They're going to end up together, and once they're together for real, it's just gonna be harder to split them, but we can do it. If you really want to be with Stu, then, I think you can handle it."

"I do want to be with him, but you have to learn to shut your mouth because you're making our job a lot harder."

"I'll get Ryleigh back. If I keep trying and keep acting like some sensitive pussy, I'll get her back. She was planning on marrying me. That's more than that dumb ass you're in love with can say."

Layla rolled her eyes. "Well, like I said, we can do it. We just need to come up with a plan."

"Do you have anything in mind?" George asked.

A smirk formed on her face. "Actually, I think I might."

* * *

**A/N: Hello, my favorites! So...shit got a bit crazy there, huh? Don't worry, it's gonna get crazier. Anyways, I appreciate the hits and reviews I've gotten. You guys are the best! I posted up a collection of very short stories about a bunch of different people, and there's a poll to vote for the ones you want expanded into full length stories, so if you'd like to read and vote, I would appreciate it. Love you guys! Hope you enjoyed the update! I'd love to know :o)**


	10. Chapter 10

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin.**

* * *

"I can't believe all of this happened," Ryleigh breathed, sitting on the couch in Stu's hotel room.

He took a seat next to her. "Neither can I."

"At least I didn't have to fly to LA to take care of it."

"Very true. It just leaves more time for us to spend together," he pointed out with a smile.

"I like that point," she agreed, gently placing her hand on his midsection, resting her head on his shoulder, as his arm found its way around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, the top of her head against his cheek.

"I do, too." Ryleigh scooted onto his lap. Stu turned her, so she was straddling his lap. The both of his arms were wrapped around her waist. She leaned in and pressed a kiss onto his lips.

"Now, we can really start things between us on the right foot," she said with a confident smile.

He nodded. "You know, the first time you ever walked into the Nexus locker room, I had feelings for you. You're just irresistible. Do you know that?"

She grinned. "You think so?"

He nodded. "Without a doubt."

"Justin is gonna freak out when he finds out about us," Ryleigh commented, feeling a jolt of excitement at the thought of telling him.

"Really?"

"He hates George more than he has probably every hated anyone and loves you. He's gonna flip in a very good way."

Stu smiled. "Probably because he knows how incredibly well I'm gonna treat you," he replied.

She nodded. "That's a very big part of it."

"Justin's a really good guy, and he loves you."

"He's my best friend."

"Good. At least I know he's always got your back."

"He does."

The two remained silent for a few moments, just looking at each other. Ryleigh pressed her forehead against Stu's. Her hands cupped his face, as he leaned in, his lips in connecting to hers.

A knock on the door interrupted the two. Ryleigh pulled back and got up, walking over to the door and opening it.

"Holy shit. So that was insane," Mike commented, walking into the room. Ryleigh shut the door behind him.

"Yeah."

"First of all, I can't believe George was being such an asshole to you," he said, looking at Stu. "I mean, George is a pretty big guy, but I think it's obvious you could take him…I mean…seriously…"

"I'm pretty sure that he knew I wouldn't hit him because I'd end up fired," Stu replied. "And I think we all know I wouldn't want that to happen."

Ryleigh nodded. "Yeah. George thinks he's tough because he's 6'3" and 220 pounds. I mean, he's in really good shape, but not compared to Stu. He's also an idiot and likes to think he's all high and mighty, and I guess trying to provoke Stu made him feel better about losing me to him," she explained.

Mike shook his head. "What a fucking idiot. And he was banging Layla? Ugh. I mean, she's a real bitch. She's cute, but…ugh what a 'See You Next Tuesday'," he commented, referring to Layla as a 'cunt' without actually saying it.

She smirked. "She's a bitch. And she has a problem with me because she's obsessed with Stu or whatever. She can have George for all I care. Good luck to those two. They deserve each other."

"I have no interest in her at all. I want Ryleigh. I love Ryleigh. That's the end of it. No one can change how I feel," Stu spoke up.

"Aw how cute," Mike teased.

"Oh stop being a jerk face," she said, nudging him with her elbow, as she stood next to him.

Mike nudged her back, teasingly. "So, I guess we're not gonna be roommates anymore." He frowned.

"Not really. But it was a lot of fun while it lasted," she said, wrapping her arms around her friend's arm and resting her head on his shoulder with innocent affection. He shot a smile in her direction.

"It was, my love," he agreed, sweetly. "Now, listen here, Stu-ey, you better treat this woman here like she's a princess because you'll have to answer to me." He puffed out his chest, trying to seem intimidating, though it wasn't working, and he, in fact, looked more like an idiot than anything.

"Well, thanks for your warning. Trust me, I get your point," Stu acknowledged, cracking a smile. "But I can assure you, Ryleigh is going to be treated like the queen she deserves to be treated as."

Mike nodded. "You better. I don't want to have to fuck your world up, pal. And I'll do it, too."

Stu tried to cover his laugh with a cough and a nod. "Absolutely."

Ryleigh hid her smirk. "Thanks for looking out for me, but I think we'll be safe with Stu. He's a good guy."

"Alright. I'm just saying. I like to put the warning out there, you know? Just in case it's needed."

"Well, I appreciate it," she said with a smile.

He gave her a nod. "Of course."

Ryleigh let go of Mike's arm and took her seat back on Stu's lap, wrapping her around him.

"So do you think Layla and George are going to back off and leave you two alone?" Mike curiously asked.

"Well, knowing George, he probably won't just go away and leave me alone. As for Layla, I honestly don't have any idea."

"Oh really? You think George is gonna bother you two?" Mike asked. "Even though Stu knocked him out already?"

"George is more of a brute than a brain. And by brute, I mean, he thinks he's scary and intimidating. He thinks he can do whatever he wants and say whatever he wants without having to suffer the consequences of his actions. He should act like a normal man and have a little self-respect, respect for other people and just a little self-control. But he thinks that he's God's gift to the friggen world. He thinks he should get whatever it is that he wants, but that sure as hell isn't happening."

"So how the hell did you end up with him?"

Ryleigh shrugged. "When we first got together, he was sweet and romantic, and he seemed to really give a shit about me. But…you know…time went on, and things just…they changed," she explained.

Mike nodded. "I mean, I don't know Stu here that well, but what I do know is that he's not the kind of guy who would ever hurt you, you know?"

Ryleigh gave Stu a smile, before turning to Mike. "I know. Someone who makes me feel the way he does would never do what George did," she confidently said, positive that she was speaking the truth about Stu.

His arms tightened around her slightly and pressed a small, affectionate kiss to her shoulder.

"You two are really cute together," Mike observed.

"Thanks," Ryleigh and Stu spoke in unison.

"Alright. I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your time together," he said. "If you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Mike," she said. He gave her a wink, before Mike let himself out of the room, shutting the door behind himself.

Ryleigh's eyes turned to meet with Stu's. She gave him a blissful smile. "You know, I love you, and I really would never hurt you," he assured her.

She nodded. "I know that, Stu. I trust you," she replied. "And I hope you know that I love you, too."

He smiled. "We're gonna be great together."

"We already are great together," he whispered, before pressing her lips against his again.

* * *

"I can't handle seeing those two all over each other," Layla sneered, a scowl on her so-called flawless face.

"Me neither. Ryleigh's supposed to be marrying me. This is just…" He breathed loudly. "I need her back, Lay."

"And you can have her. There's no way Stu is gonna be with her. I won't let that happen."

"Good because I won't either. And if you want Stu, then, we're gonna have to work together to split the two of them up."

She nodded. "You know you've got my cooperation," she agreed. "And we can make this happen, but we're gonna have to force them apart, you know? They're probably not gonna make it easy for us, but…we can do it."

"I'd say you could seduce Stu, but honestly, I think he's so hooked on Ryleigh right now that it probably wouldn't work."

"But we can work with that."

"Ryleigh has a shoot in two weeks, so she won't be doing the whole wrestling thing. She'll be in New York for like three days," George told her.

She nodded. "And I'll jump on that chance. I'll try to make my move on Stu when she's gone."

"And I'll go to New York to work on fixing things between us," he decided. "I'm sure once we get some time away from all of this, we'll go back to being engaged and everything will be fine."

"Definitely."

* * *

Ryleigh was backstage in the Nexus locker room, hanging out with the whole group of guys that were causing chaos on-screen but were known to be some of the nicest guys off-screen.

"So what's this photo shoot you have to do?" PJ asked the supermodel sitting on the couch.

"Victoria's Secret," she replied with a grin.

The guys whistled. "Well that definitely put a very nice image in my head," Heath joked with a grin.

"Watch it," Stu warned, giving his friend a stern look. Heath smiled sheepishly, not wanting to piss Stu off.

"Sorry."

"You always look beautiful, regardless of what you're wearing…or not wearing," Stu complimented, giving her a kiss on the head.

"Aw. Thank you," she said, blushing slightly.

"So are you two official or something?" David asked.

Ryleigh and Stu looked at each other, unsure of what to say, and shrugged. "I dunno. We're just kind of taking it day by day. We're not really rushing into a relationship right now," she replied, her eyes still on the man with his arm loosely wrapped around her. She leaned her body against his.

"Well, if it means anything, I think the two of you are really good together," PJ commented.

The pair smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"So, have either of you heard from George since everything went down?" David asked, curiously.

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Do you think that'll last?" he questioned.

Ryleigh shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I know he's a douchebag, so he'll probably try something, but maybe we'll get lucky, and he will leave the both of us alone," she replied, truthfully.

The locker room door flew open. "Oh. My. God! You little bitch! I can't believe what I'm seeing right now!" Justin yelled, a huge smile on his face. He ran over to Ryleigh and picked her up in his arms.

"Justin!" she squealed.

"Is this the surprise? You and Stu?" he cried, excitedly.

She laughed. "Well…George and I are over, and Stu and I are…" She smirked. "We're seeing how things pan out."

"This is so amazing!"

"And Stu punched George," Mike said, sticking his head in the locker room doorway, as he was walking by, hearing that Ryleigh was telling Justin about what had been going on while he was away.

"Oh my God! Did you seriously?"

Stu tried to suppress his smile, as he nodded. "I may have had to do something like that."

"Okay, I love you!" His arms were still around his best friend. "I can't believe I've only been gone for like a week, and I've missed all of this fun. You always do the good stuff when I'm gone," he pouted.

"I know. That means you should never ever leave me again, Justy Cakes," she said, frowning.

"I left for you, you whiny bitch. So don't even go there. This is all your fault, my little lady," he defended himself. "P.S. You really are one busy woman, Ry Ry. Do you remember that movie that you were talking about doing with Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson?" he asked her.

"Yeah. But I heard the whole project was falling through because Christopher Nolan wasn't gonna be able to direct it."

"Well, he is directing. It isn't falling through, and they've got this whole awesome cast lined up, and they want you to read the script and be in it," he told her. "I have it in my bag, in your locker room."

"Are you serious?" she asked.

Justin nodded. "Yes, I am."

Ryleigh pulled him in for another hug. She turned to Stu and jumped on his lap, pulling him in for a kiss, in excitement. He was surprised. She pulled back a few moments later and smiled at him. "I am so friggen excited about this," she told his. Ryleigh was absolutely beaming.

"What if you get it?" Justin dreamily asked.

"Another movie with Jack Nicholson would be amazing."

Stu grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ryleigh leaned her body against his.

Justin smiled. "You two are so adorable," he said. "Thank God you two are finally a thing," he breathed.

Everyone in the room was grinning at the two. There was absolutely no denying that they definitely belonged with each other. The hope was that George and Layla would not get involved in the budding relationship between Ryleigh and Stu, though they weren't too sure if that was really going to happen. In fact, everyone was pretty much positive that things weren't going to be as easy as they'd wanted, knowing that George was nicknamed the douche, and Layla was just a bitch.

* * *

"Are you worried that something's gonna happen while you're gone?" Justin asked Ryleigh, as the two were on a plane headed to New York.

She chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating what could possibly happen. "I don't really know. I hope not, but knowing George, I'm sure he's got some bullshit up his sleeve. As for Layla, I don't trust her at all, but…I mean…all I can do it trust Stu…and I do. We've only been seeing each other for like two weeks, but I really think we've got something good here," she explained.

"That guy is crazy about you."

"We're trying to tone it down a bit because we both know we're in love with each other, but at the same time…" Ryleigh paused. "You know…I just don't want anything to go wrong, but I'm paranoid that it will."

Justin frowned. "Stu won't let anything happen. He has no interest in Layla at all. And quite frankly, even if Layla wasn't a complete bitch, he's so crazy about you that he wouldn't even give her a second look."

"I hope so."

"It's true. Everyone knows it, too. Everything's gonna be fine. Besides, it's not like you're gonna be away for months, anyway. It's just a couple of days that we'll be in New York, ya know? In a couple of days, you'll be back with him, and you won't even be thinking about what that little slut is plotting," he pointed out. "And worse case scenario, I'll knock her hoe ass out. I mean I will scratch her eyes out and pull her hair. I'm not afraid of that bitch. I am not even playing."

Ryleigh laughed. "You always know how to make me smile."

Justin batted his eyelashes. "I do try my hardest."

"I love you Justy."

"I love you, too," he reciprocated. "I think you should just marry Stu or something. I would like that."

"We're not even dating yet."

"Eh, but you're close enough. You've already both admitted that you're in love with each other," he said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we're going to be together forever or something like that. It takes time to figure things like this out, ya know? And it's definitely too soon to make any hasty comments about that."

"No, I don't know. But you know me. I don't date too much. I'm too busy being beautiful and escorting my employer slash life partner around to everything she has to do. God, I do love being me. I feel like I'm living vicariously through you, and it's nice to be the glamorous one. It's pretty sweet."

"To be honest, I really just think I should marry you," Ryleigh thought aloud. "We might never ever sleep with each other, but we would also never get divorced because we'll always love each other. And we'll always be together."

He smiled. "That's true." He paused for a few moments. "Have you thought about…ya know…spending the rest of your life with Stu?"

She shrugged. "It's still new. I don't want to be over-confident about things with him. And I don't want to jinx it."

"I know…but I don't think anything could ever keep the two of you apart at this point. You two just…you know…click."

Ryleigh grinned. "I love him. I really do. I know it's quick, but there's just something about him that immediately makes my heart beat faster. He makes me happy. I just…I'm so insane over him."

"I know. You're always happy. Since the two of you started getting more cozy with each other, you haven't cried. You haven't even frowned, I don't think. I mean, you've been the happy Ryleigh that I haven't seen in a long time, since you and George the douche have been together."

"He makes me happy all of the time. He treats me like I'm the greatest thing in the world…it just...it's like everything's perfect between us."

Justin smiled. "Aw, hunnie. Good. That's what it's supposed to be when you're with someone, and George just didn't treat you well. I'm happy you're with Stu now. He's a good guy."

She nodded. "I know."

* * *

"Hey Stu," Layla greeted, walking over to him, while he was walking out of his hotel room.

"Layla," he politely greeted with a nod.

"Where are you headed?" she asked.

"To the gym," he simply replied, as he stopped walking and turned to face her, not wanting her to follow him.

"Want some company?"

"Not particularly. I prefer to work out alone, though I appreciate the offer," he rejected her.

She pouted. "Well, what if I walk there with you?"

"Aren't you persistent?" he rhetorically asked.

Layla shrugged. "I just want to talk to you, Stu," she explained.

"That's very kind, but I really don't want to talk to you."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a troublemaker, Layla. I'm with Ryleigh now, and I know that you don't like her very much. So, I really don't want to get myself involved with you at this point," he told her.

"I don't even know Ryleigh."

"I'm aware because if you knew her, you wouldn't be so hostile towards her," he replied, wanting her to go away.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, though she didn't sound sincere.

"Well, tell that to her."

"Where is she?"

"She's going to be back in a few days. Ryleigh's in New York with Justin for a little while."

"Why?"

"She has a photo shoot."

"Oh. What's going on with Ryleigh and Justin?" she asked, obviously trying to start some trouble.

"They're best friends."

"How do you know they're not more?"

Stu rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm serious."

"Justin has no attraction to Ryleigh. In fact, if anything, he would have feelings for me before he'd have any interest in her."

"Why is that?"

"Because Justin's gay."

"Really?"

"Have you met him, Layla?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

"Alright, well-"

"Are you dating Ryleigh now?" she interrupted him.

Stu shook his head slowly. "What does that have to do with you?" he asked her, annoyed.

"Well, it's just a simple question. I mean, if you're not dating her, then, I don't know why you wouldn't be able to at least talk to me," she explained, placing her hand on her hip, a bit of an attitude in her tone.

"If I wanted to talk to you, I would. Ryleigh and I aren't in an official relationship right now, but we are together, and we are exclusive with each other. We're working towards being in an official relationship I have absolutely no interest in being with anyone else, and I care about her very, very much. Is that good enough for you?" he finally snapped. "Is there anything else you need?"

She remained silent, slightly taken aback by his tone. Stu shook his head silently and began walking towards the elevators again, hoping that she would leave him alone this time. Layla watched him and frowned. Clearly this was going to be a lot more difficult than she had planned.

* * *

Ryleigh was at her hotel, sitting on the couch. She and Justin had only arrived there a few hours earlier. There was no photo shoot until the next day. The two were just hanging out, relaxing. They had the television on and were chatting.

"You know Sports Illustrated had contacted me about having you in their Swimsuit Issue?"

"You didn't tell me that," she replied.

"Well, I told them that you'd do it," he told her with a shrug.

"When's the shoot?"

"In like two months or something," he told her.

She nodded. "Okay. I'll let Vince know about it."

"I'm really happy that you're in the WWE now," he admitted. "I like everyone there, and I dunno…it might seem like it's not the best move, but I know you're really happy there. Plus, Stu is there. And I have a crush on him."

Ryleigh laughed. "Stay away from my man."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll back off," he pouted, jokingly.

"That's what I thought."

There was a knock on the door to the room. Ryleigh furrowed her brow and looked at Justin. "Who knows that we're staying here?" he asked her.

"Um…Stu, Vince…um…I dunno who else. It's not exactly a secret or anything," she said and stood up.

She got up and walked over to the door. She unlocked and opened it. George was standing there.

"Um…George? What are you doing here?" Ryleigh asked, confused. He was the last person she had expected to see.

"Hey Ry. I wanted to talk," he replied. He looked upset. She almost felt bad, but at the time, she really didn't care.

"Okay, but that's not happening," she said, flatly.

"Why not? We've been through so much together. Can't you just talk to me?" he asked, his voice pleading with her.

"Listen, we broke up. We'd been fighting. Things weren't working. There's nothing else we need to talk about. It's over."

"Please, just hear me out."

Ryleigh thought for a few moments and breathed loudly. "Fine. Come on, I guess, but don't try anything because I will hurt you," she warned him.

"Thank you."

George walked into the room, and Ryleigh shut the door behind him. The two walked back over to the couch. Justin was glaring at him.

"Hey Justin. What's up?" he greeted.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm just here to talk to Ryleigh. No funny business," he said, putting his hands up in his defense.

"Like I believe a word that comes out of your lying mouth, you douche. When you and Ryleigh were engaged or whatever bullshit you conned her into, I had to be nice to you, but you two are broken up now. That means I don't have to be nice to you anymore, George the Douche," Justin snapped.

Ryleigh tried to hide her smirk. George frowned. "What's your problem with me?" he asked.

"Um you treated Ry Ry like shit for a very long time, and so help me God, if she actually did marry you, I don't even think I'd be able to go to the wedding because I definitely didn't want the two of you together. So, don't even go there," Justin shot, his voice hostile. His arms were crossed over his chest and stood up.

"I love you, Justy. Can you give George and me a couple of minutes?" she asked with a sweet smile.

He breathed loudly and looked up, tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. "Fine," he finally agreed. "I'll be in my room. If you need me, let me know. And you better not start shit with her because I will come back out here, and I will rip your eyes out, and I won't think twice about it."

George slowly nodded. "Well, that won't be necessary."

"Better not be," Justin quipped, snapping his fingers in front of his face, before walking into his room and shutting the door behind himself.

"Guess he's not a fan of mine," George said with a shrug, as he and Ryleigh sat on the couch.

"Not quite," she replied. "And let's be honest here, I don't really blame him, either. You weren't exactly nice to him when we were together."

"I didn't do anything to him."

"You were always a dick," she dismissed. " You had a really bad attitude towards him. Anyway, we can continue talking about this, unless there's something else that you came here to talk about."

"Ry…I'm sorry for everything that happened. I just…I love you so much, and I miss you. I'll do anything you want to fix our problems. I just want to be with you again, and I want to marry you and have a couple of babies with you. I can't handle this whole being broken up thing," he told her.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, if you weren't such a shitty boyfriend and fiancée in the first place, then, this wouldn't have happened at all. You treated me like complete shit. You pushed me and hit me. You made me cry more times than I can even begin to count. I don't know if you forgot about all of that already, but I'm really done with it all. And lest we forget, you were cheating on me with Layla for quite some time. So please, don't pull this woe-is-me bullshit," she pointed out.

"I fucked up, Ry. Big time. What I did to you was so wrong, and I swear that I regret it every single day. I'm so miserable without you around, and I know that I really need to work on things, but I need another chance to prove to you that I can be the man you need me to be. The thing with Layla didn't mean anything. It was just…I dunno. It was stupid of me. I know that. I was just…I was a really shitty guy to you, and I know that if you let me, I can be the best boyfriend you've ever had. You deserve it, and I love you so much," he pled his case, though it was falling on deaf ears.

"George, when we were together, I tried to make everything right with us, but you didn't care. Now, I'm okay. We're not together, and things are great," she replied. "I mean, I'm happy."

"But we have so much history. You can't just turn your back on that. We were together for a long time. I mean, we…we belong together."

"No, we don't."

"Are you dating Stu or something now?" George asked, accusingly.

"I'm single," she simply replied.

"What the fuck does that even mean?"

"It means I do not have a boyfriend."

George rolled his eyes. "Okay, are you seeing him or something? Are the two of you more than just friends?"

"That's not your business."

"Yes, it is."

"How the hell do you think that's your business?" she asked.

"Because we were engaged to each other. And we broke up what? Like two weeks ago? And I think I have every right to know if you're with someone else already," he bitched, standing up.

"Bull-fucking-shit. You don't have any right to know a damn thing about me anymore, but if you're gonna be a fucking pain in my ass about it, then, fine. I am seeing Stu. And funny story, actually, while you were banging Layla behind my back, I actually fell in love with him. And he fell in love with me, too. So we love each other. We're not dating right now, but we're still working on that," she shot at him, finally getting annoyed to her breaking point, as she stood up.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You fell in love with each other? That's fucking bullshit. You barely know him!" he yelled.

"I know him well enough to know that he's not some piece of shit like I was engaged to! He would never even think about putting his fucking hands on me because he's all pissed off over something that makes me happy! He would never, ever hurt me! Stu is a real man, and you're just a little boy who doesn't realize that he needs to fucking grow the hell up already!" she yelled.

Justin's bedroom door flew open. Ryleigh and George both turned to see him standing there, obviously enraged. "He put his fucking hands on you?" he asked, his voice eerily calm when he spoke.

Ryleigh looked down, opting to remain silent, which was a more than sufficient answer for him. George's eyes were avoiding him, as well.

He stormed over to them. "Get the fuck out of here, right fucking now, George, and don't you dare make me repeat myself, you stupid son of a bitch," the normally sweet guy growled.

"Ryleigh, if you decide you want to finish this conversation, when you're not being a bitch and a whore, you know my number," he spat, before storming out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind himself.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, softly.

"I knew you would be pissed off," she replied.

"We're best friends. You should know that you can tell me, and yeah, I would have been pissed. He has no right to lay a finger on you."

"I know…"

"Does anyone know about this?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "Stu does."

"And what did he say about it?"

"He was pissed. We kind of got into a bit of a tiff when I told him. That's when he admitted that he had feelings for me…accidentally."

"Okay. Is he going to fuck up Georgie Porgie's world?"

"He wants to. George knew that Stu couldn't really go after him at the hotel when everything went down because he could end up fired, you know? And Stu doesn't want to get fired…and I don't want him to either."

Justin nodded. "So…what exactly happened with Stu? You never told me, and let's be fair, I need to know everything."

Ryleigh smiled. "We got into our little spat on the plane because of the George bullshit. We landed. The hotel lost my reservation. Mike offered to let me stay with him, but Stu stepped in and told me he had two beds, which ended up being a lie because I agreed to stay in his room, even though we weren't really speaking at that point. But of course, we made up. We were just hanging out and talking and stuff. It kind of got serious, and I kind of um…I kissed him," she summarized the events.

"You kissed him? He didn't kiss you? You actually did it?" he asked, seemingly surprised by her admission.

"Yup. And he told me that he's in love with me. So…I told him to prove it and show me," she explained.

Justin's eyes widened. "Like sleep with you?" he asked, finding himself more and more interested in the story as it went on. He sat on the couch, his elbows resting on his legs, as he rested his chin on his hands.

Ryleigh blushed. "Yeah…"

"And did he?"

She nodded and sat next to him. "He certainly did."

"Oh. My. God. That's so amazing. Is he like huge? I totally think he is. I can just tell. The nice guys usually are. Plus he's a pretty big guy anyway. Plus, I've thought about it. And in my head…it's pretty big."

She laughed. "Justin! I can't tell you that!"

"Don't pee on my parade, bitch. Please tell me. I won't tell anyone. He won't know that you told me. Come on. I know everything about every guy you ever slept with. You can't not tell me now! This is the first time I totally want to steal your man," he begged. She shot him a look. "Even though I wouldn't try to," he added with an innocent smile.

"Justy…"

"Okay. I'm not asking for dimensions or anything. Just…is he big? And big how? Like long? Or thick?"

"Both," she replied. "But that's all I'm telling you."

Justin smirked and nodded slowly. "Very nice. Was it good?"

"The sex?"

"Obviously."

"It was amazing."

"Wow. My girl cheated on her fiancée with a hot piece of ass," he squealed with excitement.

"Don't objectify him. He's not a piece of ass. I actually have feelings for him," she pointed out.

"You love him."

"He loves me, too."

"I love this stuff. It's so great. Thank God you have someone who's not a complete piece of shit now. The two of you are adorable."

Ryleigh smiled. "Thanks, muffin."

"Well, please stay with him because I like you two together."

"I want to."

"Good. And if he has a problem with that, I'll fuck his world up."

"I'll make sure I pass the message along."

"Thanks, Ry Ry."

* * *

**A/N: Hiiii...Sorry it's been forever since I updated. I'm in a bit of writer's block at the moment, but I know where I'm headed, it's just a matter of getting there...plus I work a million hours a week at this point...which suckssss. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! I have my poll up until Feb. 2, so if you haven't voted yet, please do! You guys get to pick the next story I post...and out of the ten options, I'll probably end up at least making three of them full length stories...maybe more...who knows lol Anyways, I love you all! Enjoyyyy XoXoXoXoXo**


	11. Chapter 11

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ryleigh and Justin…if I ever got lucky enough to own Stu, I promise I would let you all know, but so far, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. But I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.**

* * *

Ryleigh and Justin were on the plane back to meet up with the Raw tour. She hadn't spoke to Stu very often while she was working in New York, seeing as the two were extraordinarily busy with both of their jobs. She'd spent the majority of her time with photo shoots, while he'd been doing the shows and taking care of all the interviews that he had to do with local television and radio stations.

"Are you excited to finally see your boyfriend again?" Justin asked, teasingly with a smirk.

"He's not my boyfriend," she replied, feeling a crimson blush creep up on her cheeks. The whole situation made her feel like she was in high school or something, but it felt pretty damn good to feel so giddy and excited about a guy.

"Hogwash."

"Stop watching so damn much 'Judge Jeanine Pirro' and stealing her lines," Ryleigh quipped.

"I love her, though."

"You love everyone."

"So not true. I don't love George the douche and Layla the slut bag," he pointed out. Ryleigh laughed.

"True story," she agreed.

"I think that when you and Stu finally get together officially, everything will be perfect, finally," he commented, flashing a dreamy smile in her direction.

She smiled. "I'm not trying to rush anything," she said.

"I don't care. I'm the one trying to rush this. I want you two to be an official couple already. I'm done waiting."

She shook her head. "You're so pushy."

He shrugged. "I just know what I want, and I'll make it happen. If that makes me pushy, then, so be it!"

"Jeeze louise. You really are something else. How much longer until we land?" she asked, getting restless in her seat.

"About twenty more minutes or so. Then, we have a driver coming to pick us up, and we'll be meeting up with everyone at the Raw show. You'll be with your man, and everything will be back to normal."

She nodded. "Tomorrow Stu's supposed to be training me a bit," Ryleigh told him, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

Justin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh really?" he asked. "Are you two gonna have a little one on one action in the ring?" he asked her, nudging her with his elbow, a smirk on his face.

Ryleigh rolled her eyes at his inability to not make everything about sex. "He's teaching me some in-ring moves," she shot back.

"It's not like you two haven't gone at it before," he pointed out, trying to suppress his laugh.

"Only you could make something so…mentally and emotionally intense sound like nothing more than a cheap lay," she breathed with a laugh.

He proudly smiled. "I do try my hardest." He paused for a few moments. "So, can you see yourself settling down with Stu? You know…like the whole white picket fence life?" he asked her.

"Just, you're making our…thing…or whatever it is significantly more serious than it really is right now," she said. "I mean, we love each other, which is really kind of jumping the gun, but we're not trying to make everything else happen so quickly. We're trying to take our time with it all."

"Listen Ry, you two are meant to be together forever. Anyone who has seen the two of you with each other knows it's the truth. I just really want things to happen already," he explained.

"I know. Just give it some time, okay? We're not rushing things because we want it to work out."

"You know I've never been one for patience or anything like that," he replied with a roll of his eyes and wave of his hand.

"Well, learn to be," she shot with a smirk.

"Such a bitch."

"I learned from the best."

"That's nonfiction," he replied with a wink.

* * *

Ryleigh and Justin had already deboarded the plane and were making their way over to the luggage claim area, where they were set to meet up with their driver, who would be bringing them to the arena. Ryleigh was becoming more and more anxious and excited to see Stu. She knew that she was going to miss him while she was away, but she didn't expect to miss him nearly as much as she did.

"Aw. I see you getting all impatient to see your man," Justin teased her. "I think it's so adorable."

"Don't you dare mock me," she jokingly sneered.

"Psh. Don't you get all snippy with me," he playfully growled. "You bitch me out for being impatient. Guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree now, did it?" he asked, putting a hand on his hip.

"The tree would be the parent, and the apple would be the child. You're not my father," she pointed out, her brow furrowed.

"Well, you know what? I meant to say that's the pot calling the kettle black," he corrected himself.

"Well, let's be honest here, if you had a man that looked like Stu waiting for your arrival, you would be just as impatient as I am getting to be," she said, trying to ignore the cameras flashing around her.

"Yeah. That's true," he agreed with a nod.

Ryleigh hated being at the airport because the paparazzi always knew to find her there, and she just wanted to get through without any fuss. She clutched onto Justin's arm, holding it against her body.

"Justin, I love you so much. You make the constant traveling bearable," she said, letting go of his arm to pull her phone out of her bag, noticing a couple of e-mails. She began reading through them, following Justin's lead.

"I think it'd be really funny if you walked into a pole right now, and everyone got to see it on camera," he commented. "That would be the best picture to put on the cover of US Weekly or People or any of those magazines."

"I think it'd be absolutely hilarious if you zipped your lips, you little brat. I got an e-mail from Friday's for a free entrée. We should go there for dinner one night," she spoke, her eyes glued on the phone.

"Yes. We need another date night," he agreed. "We haven't had one in such a long time."

She continued scrolling through her e-mails, when she heard Justin gasp. She assumed that he saw some hot guy walking by, seeing as that's how he usually reacted in that kind of scenario. He stopped walking, and Ryleigh crashed into his back. "Whoopsie. What'd you stop for?" she asked him, stepping to the side and looking up, wanting to know what was such a big deal.

"Oh. My. God," she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

Standing in front of the pair was none other than Stu Bennett himself, holding a dozen red and pale pink roses. He had a smile on his face. "Hi Ryleigh," he spoke, his voice confident and happy.

"Oh my God!" she repeated, louder this time, immediately jumping into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. Stu's arms wrapped themselves around her waist and spun her around. Ryleigh didn't seem to care that there were cameras all over the place capturing this personal moment between the two. It didn't really matter what anyone else in the world thought about what was going on with Stu and herself. He had gone out of his way to surprise her and pick her up from the airport.

"I called the company that was supposed to come and pick you two up and cancelled with them," he explained. "It may have only been a forty-five minute drive, but I couldn't wait that much longer to see you."

"I've missed you so much, Stu," she admitted.

"I missed you, too," he reciprocated.

"And I've missed this," Justin gushed with a genuine smile.

Stu finally put Ryleigh down. "Hey Justin. It's nice to see you again," he politely greeted him.

"Hey Stu," he replied with a wink.

"I can't believe that you're really here," Ryleigh said, still in disbelief that he was really standing right there in front of her.

Stu grinned. "I just couldn't help myself." He held the flowers out to her. "And I picked up these for you. I know it's cheesy, but…"

She shook her head slowly, her eyes still locked on him. "It's so incredible and sweet and thoughtful of you to do for me," she honestly replied, taking the bouquet from him, feeling like the most special person in the world at the moment.

"Seriously, Stu, Ryleigh loves anything that's cheesy. And let me tell you, I've never been so proud of one of her…men…" Justin told him. He was really happy that Ryleigh had such a great guy for the first time in a long time.

Stu smiled. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said, cupping her face in his hands.

Ryleigh wrapped her arms around Stu, hugging him to her body. He pressed his forehead against hers, their eyes locking. "Stu, I missed you so much," she whispered, moving to lean in and kiss him.

"If you kiss me here, everyone's going to see it. It'll probably be in all those gossip magazines tomorrow morning," he warned her.

She smiled. "Stu, I don't care. The whole world can see it," she replied, her voice still a whisper.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Ryleigh answered his question by leaning in again, but this time actually pressing their lips together in a much needed kiss. She heard the paparazzi taking their countless pictures, as they believed they had their next cover story for whichever magazines or websites they worked for. Stu's arms wrapped around her waist again, holding her body against his. When the two pulled apart, they both wore smiles on their faces.

"I love you, Ryleigh," he whispered so only she could hear him.

"I love you, too," she reciprocated.

"I can't handle not being with you."

She smiled. "Can I tell you how much it sucked without you around?"

"I like to think that you had some fun, while you were away, but it's nice to know that you missed me."

"I promise you, I did."

"And I missed you the same way."

* * *

When Ryleigh, Justin and Stu arrived back at the arena for the evening's Raw taping. She was beyond happy to be back. She couldn't wait to see her new friends and spend her time there with Stu. She was especially looking forward to being with Stu moreso than anything else. Of course, of all the jobs she had, she was really enjoying being a part of the WWE. It was like a childhood dream becoming a reality.

"I knew I smelled skank in the air," an unwelcome voice greeted the group, eliciting a scoff from Ryleigh.

"Oh? Satan, you've arrived," Ryleigh spoke, before turning around, her eyes landing on the person she most certainly did not want to see. "Oh Layla. I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else."

Stu and Justin tried to stifle their laughs, as Layla rolled her eyes at the snarky comment. "Such a bitch," she mumbled.

"What would you like?" Ryleigh asked, finally.

"For you to disappear and leave everyone alone finally," she replied, bringing her hands to her hips.

"Well, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," she confidently replied.

"That's what you think," she muttered.

"Oh? Where the hell do you think I'm going?" Ryleigh asked her.

"You'll be gone soon enough, Ryleigh. You're nothing but a flavor of the week, and everyone will be over you soon enough," Layla spat, her eyes burning into Ryleigh. It took all Ryleigh had to not punch the short bitch across the face, but she somehow managed to resist the temptation.

"Just keep on telling yourself that. But to be completely honest, you're really just coming off as a desperate bitch."

"Oh really? You think I'm the one who's coming off as the desperate bitch? Because everyone's so sick of seeing you all over Stu."

"Okay, to be fair, I'm not sick of it. I think it's absolutely adorable, and I love it," Justin interjected.

"And who the fuck do you think you are?" Layla asked, glaring at him.

"Your worst fucking nightmare, you ugly, loud, snobby, bitchy, slutty, obnoxious cunt," he snapped, switching over to bitch mode.

"Um, excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't talk to me like that," she quipped in disbelief.

"I just did. And you can't do a fucking think about it, whore," he retorted, snapping his fingers in her face.

"Oh, you little son of a bitch," Layla growled.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother that way," Justin shot, snapping his fingers in her face again.

"Your mother must have been really ugly to have such an ugly child," she snarkily commented.

"You fucking bitch. I hope you get an ass kicking soon…at my hands," Ryleigh defended Justin.

"Layla, you really need to just leave everyone alone, or so help me God, Vince McMahon will hear about this, and he would be much quicker to get rid of you before he would ever get rid of Ryleigh," Stu finally spoke up.

"Vince wouldn't choose her over me," she replied.

"That's not true, actually. Ryleigh, Justin, let's go," he said, wrapping an arm around Ryleigh's waist, as he led the two away from Layla.

"That bitch. She's lucky I didn't slap her across her fucking face," Ryleigh muttered, still pissed off.

Stu smiled. "Sweetheart, you know that she's just trying to get under your skin, and everything she's talking about is complete rubbish," he explained, trying to calm her down. Truth be told, Ryleigh was still wound up, as anyone who was in her position probably would be. Layla was just infuriating.

"I just fucking hate her so much. I hope George knocks her up," she commented, still very hostile.

Stu laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Ryleigh wrapped her arms around him, as the three made their way to her dressing room.

* * *

Ryleigh and Stu were alone in her dressing room. They were relaxing on the couch, finally able to enjoy each other's company. She was laying down with her head on his lap. He was running his fingers through her hair.

"Did you have fun in New York?" he asked her.

"It was okay. I missed you. And George managed to find me there, which definitely put a damper on things," she nonchalantly replied.

"Wait. What? George went to New York to see you?" he asked her, getting pissed off that he had the nerve to show up there.

"Yeah…nothing really happened. I mean, I got to tell him off. He begged and pleaded with me to take him back, but I told him that I'm really happy without him. He was annoying me about what's been going on with the two of us. He pissed me off, so I told him that I'm in love with you. Justin overheard me saying something about George putting his hands on me, and he completed flipped out. I thought he was going to kill George. So instead of risking Justin going to jail, I just kicked him out," she explained what had happened.

"What in the bloody hell is his problem? Does he not know how to just leave you the fuck alone? Fucking wanker." Ryleigh felt bad that Stu was getting so worked up over this, when there was really no need to.

"Baby, it's okay. I promise," she assured him, her eyes locked on his, giving him a small smile.

"I just want him to leave you alone. I want him to go away and let us be happy together. But that bloody prick can't just bugger off already," Stu growled, fed up with George's inability to just go away, even after everything that had transpired.

Ryleigh sat up and climbed on top of Stu's lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Babe, you really don't have to worry about him. I don't want him. I'm definitely not gonna marry him. I'm not even his girlfriend anymore, you know? I love you, Stu, not George," she reassured him.

"I know. I'm just so finished with this rubbish."

"I am, too," she agreed. "But it's okay because it's not like he's not getting anywhere with me ever again."

"I know." Stu paused for a moment. "Listen, Ryleigh, if he gives you any more problems, please just let me know. I'll take care of him myself. Seriously, I'm not going to let the woman that I love have to deal with a bloody wanker of an ex-boyfriend…fiancée…whatever making her life a living hell."

Ryleigh smiled. "Aw. That's very sweet of you, but my life could never be considered hell, when I've got you with me," she replied.

"Oh really?"

She nodded. "In fact, you make my life better and better every single day that you're in it."

He smiled. "That's why I like to hear," he said, his hands gently gripping her thighs. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

"You're the best," she whispered against his mouth. "You always know how to make me happy."

"Yeah?"

"Yup," she replied. Stu's arms were wrapped around her body tightly. "All day, every day."

"Well, my dear, I'm going to keep on doing it, every single day," he assured her with a confident smile on his lips.

"You're adorable," she cooed.

"For you, I try," he whispered, before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers, in a much needed kiss. His anger at what George had done began disappearing, as he lost himself in the moment with Ryleigh.

The two began quite the heated make out session, laying down on the couch, while their lips were practically glued together. Stu was laying down on top of her. He had a hand resting on her upper thigh. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Her fingers mindlessly played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He groaned against her mouth. Stu's hands slowly slipped up her body, underneath her t-shirt. His fingertips pressing against the skin of her abdomen sent chills through her body. She slid her hands down his body, her fingers playing with the cotton fabric of his shirt.

Stu trailed his lips down to Ryleigh's neck. A moan escaped her lips, as she threw her head back in pleasure. He pulled back long enough to slip her t-shirt up and over her head, before placing his lips back against hers. Her fingers clung to his shirt, before pulling it off of his torso. She dropped it over the side of the couch.

"I love how amazing your body feels against mine," she purred into his ear, sliding her lips from his ear onto the flesh of his neck, before there was an unwanted knock on the door. "Shit," she groaned, throwing her head back down onto the couch in aggravation. "Just a second," she called with a roll of her eyes.

Ryleigh grabbed her top off of the floor and threw it back on, as Stu took his and pulled it back onto his body. She got up from the couch and opened the door. "What's up, David?" she asked, greeting her visitor.

"Not much. Just wanted to stop by and say hi," he greeted her.

"Hi," Ryleigh said with a smile. He looked over her shoulder and noticed that Stu was sitting on the couch.

"Oh…whoops. I didn't realize that you two were having some…alone time," he said, giving her a wink. "Well, I'm gonna go then. You probably need this time. You two crazy kids enjoy yourselves. And I'll talk to the both of you later." With that, David gave her a smile, before walking away.

Ryleigh shut the door and turned back to Stu and walked over to him, sitting on his lap, as his arms snaked their way around his waist. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and placed an innocent kiss on his skin.

"What a jerk," she breathed, talking about David's unwelcome visit.

"I know. I should really kick his arse."

Ryleigh giggled. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. He interrupted our time together, and he knows how much I missed you while you were away."

"Is he the only one who knew?"

"Definitely not. Everyone knew. I wouldn't stop talking about you for even a minute. They were all probably ready to beat me."

"Aw. You're so cute," she said, bringing their lips together in another kiss.

* * *

"Well if it isn't everyone's favorite little bitch, Cryleigh," Layla mocked Ryleigh, as she walked over the object of her crush's affection, in the catering area. Ryleigh had been sitting there, minding her own business.

"Well, if it isn't the bitchy, whiny little troll that I can't seem to get rid of, no matter how hard I try," she retorted. "God, I hate you so much."

"Well, you only hate me because you know that Stu is gonna leave your stupid arse to be with me," Layla cockily shot back. "So, please, go ahead and be jealous of me. No one would blame you."

Ryleigh rolled her eyes at the shorter woman. "Actually, Stu's not going anywhere. He loves me and not you. You need to get that through your head and cut this stupid bullshit out already."

"Keep telling yourself that, you stupid bimbo," Layla quipped.

"I'm sure that you really believe that your little fantasy is going to come true, and he'll leave me and scoop you in his arms and never let you go, but it most certainly will not happen," Ryleigh insisted, waving her hand in Layla's face.

"You're not even his girlfriend. That tells me all I need to know. He doesn't want the world to think that he's stuck with you."

"That's really none of your business, Layla. If Stu had any interest in being with you, then, he would be with you, but he chooses to be with me. So, you think about that before you let your little delusions take over."

"You're the delusional one, you stupid whore."

"That's right. I'm delusional because when I go to bed at night, and I'm with the WWE and not on a photo shoot, I get to sleep in Stu's arms. You don't. And while we're together, I'm sure that he's really thinking about you," Ryleigh snapped. "You need to learn how to shut your mouth and get over yourself."

"He'll never really love you," Layla muttered.

"If that's what really helps you sleep at night, then, be my guest, and let your little thoughts keep you warm at night. You need to stay the hell out of my business already because enough is enough."

"You got involved in my business when you came here."

"I was invited here. It's not my fault that I'm better than you. I get the ratings. I have the fans. I have the talent. I have the enormously successful career. It's not my fault that no one gives a shit about you."

"The day Stu leaves you for me will be the greatest day of my life," she thought aloud, shaking her head.

"It won't ever happen, Layla. Keep on dreaming," Ryleigh shot back. "I'm so sick and tired of you getting involved in my business. You were banging my fiancée. Isn't that enough for you? Seriously, you have to go away now, and leave me the fuck alone. Stay the hell out of my life."

"I'm not leaving any time soon. Get used to seeing my face all over the place because I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to end up with him, when all is said and done, and you're going to be kicked to the curb where you belong!" Layla yelled.

"You're out of your mind. Just get out of my life," she muttered, before turning around and leaving the catering area.

Ryleigh knew Layla was talking about of her ass, and she was nothing more than a jealous, angry brat. But she was really starting to get under her skin. Ryleigh made her way to the Nexus locker room. She opened the door and went inside, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Hey doll. Are you alright?" Stu asked, noticing that she seemed to be bothered by something.

"Hm?" She looked up at him. "Me? Yeah. I'm uh…I'm fine," she softly spoke, though he could see right through her. He assumed that she might not want to talk about what was going on, seeing as there were a couple of other people in the room. Stu stood up from the couch and took Ryleigh's hand in his much larger one. He pulled her up to her feet, from her seated position and led her out of his locker room. He brought her to her dressing room. She sat down on the couch, as Stu shut the door and took a seat next to her.

"What's wrong, Ryleigh?" he asked, his voice sounding concerned.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just…I had a stupid, little run-in with Layla," she told him.

"Are you serious? Ryleigh, you know you can't let her get to you. She's just jealous and trying to make you upset."

"I know. It's just frustrating when I constantly have to hear her bitch about how you're going to leave me for her."

"You know it would never, ever happen. Not in a million years. I swear it on my life," he assured her.

"I know."

Stu lifted her chin to look at him. "I love you and only you," he said, placing a kiss on her lips.

"It's mutual," she whispered against his mouth. The two pulled apart from their kiss and smiled.

"You know that it doesn't matter what rubbish she throws at you. I'm not going to ever want her. Besides the fact, that I'm crazy for you, she's pretty much gone mad, and I find her to be a bit of a pestilence," he told her.

Ryleigh nodded, knowing that he was being honest with her. She just had to learn to let Layla's words in one ear and right out there other. But, of course, that was much easier said than done.

* * *

**A/N: Ohhhh the drama. I love it. Hope you guys are enjoying it! Please let me know! I love getting reviews from the world's bestest readers ever! Don't forget, if you haven't already, vote in my new poll! You can pick one of the next stories I write. Sorry its been a month since I last updated. I keep distracting myself with new stories lol I guess I like being able to choose which one I feel like writing at the moment...that was I can never really get bored with anything lol Well...I love you all! XoXoXoXoXoXo**


	12. Chapter 12

**The World Has Its Shine**

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I own Ryleigh and Justin.**

* * *

**Raw**

**"Hey John! Are you looking forward to your match tonight?" Ryleigh asked, walking into his locker room.**

**"Ryleigh. Hi. It's nice to see you. I'm definitely looking forward to beating Wade Barrett down. You'll be watching?" he asked.**

**"Of course. I'd love nothing more than to watch you take him out," she said with a smile. "That would make my night."**

**"Well, you know, if you would like, you're more than welcome to accompany me to the ring tonight," John invited her.**

**"Alright. That sounds like fun to me."**

**"It'll be nice to have someone out there on my side. I'm used to the Nexus being out there and attacking me, while I have no one in my corner," he said with a frown.**

**"Aw John." Ryleigh said next to him on the bench he had been occupying. "I'm in your corner. Don't worry. I've got your back tonight."**

**"Thanks, Ry."**

**"Of course. I'll keep those Nexus ladies in line," she offered with a wink.**

**"And I appreciate having you on my side." Ryleigh smiled and gave him a hug.**

**"Trust me, it's my pleasure."**

* * *

"You're really good out there. The crowd really seems to like you," PJ commented, as he, Ryleigh, Stu, Barbie, David and John hung out together in the Nexus's locker room.

"Thanks," Ryleigh said with a smile.

"Once you're fully trained, you're gonna be such an awesome Diva," Barbie told her. "I hope we get to tag together."

"Me, too. That would be so awesome," Ryleigh agreed.

"I love having you around. Stu's always in a good mood now. He's actually a pleasure to be around," John teased.

Stu rolled his eyes. "Wanker," he muttered.

"What?" John asked.

"Just a scratchy throat, mate," he replied with a smile.

"Yeah. I bet."

Stu wrapped an arm around Ryleigh's shoulders and pulled her close to him, pressing a kiss to her temple. "How are you, sweetheart?" he asked her.

She grinned. "I'm wonderful," she answered, making it clear that it was because of his presence.

"Aw, you two are so cute together," Barbie gushed.

David rolled his eyes. "You two are making me so nauseous."

"You're making me nauseous," Ryleigh snapped with a smirk.

"Ouch. Somebody's feisty," he reacted.

She gave him a nod. "True story."

"Oh there's the whole gang!" an unwelcome voice snobbily greeted, as Layla and George walked into the room.

"Oh God," Ryleigh groaned. "What do you guys want?" she snapped, not wanting the fun to be destroyed by the two unwelcome visitors.

"Well, it just seemed like everyone was having so much fun in here. We didn't want to be left out of the festivities," Layla replied with a pout.

"Actually, you weren't invited," Barbie snidely remarked.

"Well, that's not very nice," Layla replied.

"You two definitely don't make a cute couple," George remarked.

Ryleigh raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Jealousy is a real bitch, huh?" she retorted, wanting to slap the smug smirk off of his face.

"Yeah, you are," he replied.

"George, Layla, I think it's best that you two just leave," Stu finally spoke up, gritting his teeth.

"And why the fuck would I listen to you?" George sneered, his eyes narrowing on Stu, who was damn near ready to kill the man in front of him.

"Because this is my locker room, and you were never invited in here, nor were you ever welcome," he shot back.

"I guess you'll just have to make me leave, then," George challenged Stu. The Brit went to stand up and further the confrontation, but Ryleigh stopped him.

"Let me handle this," she said, before pecking a kiss to his lips.

"Alright," he replied, feeling his anger fade, once her lips touched his. He didn't know how she managed to do it, but Ryleigh was the one who controlled his emotions, without even trying. Hell, he was pretty sure she didn't even know she could do it.

Ryleigh stood up. "George, get the fuck out and bring your loud-mouthed roll with you," she demanded, her eyes burning into her former fiancée.

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?"

"Troll? Troll? Did you just call me a troll?" Layla screeched, getting in Ryleigh's face, but she refused to back down.

"At least your fucking ears work. Yes, she said troll, you dumb bitch," Barbie snapped. "Both of you, get the hell out." The blonde stood next to her new friend, backing her up, wholeheartedly.

"What are you gonna do, Barbie?" Layla mocked the blonde.

"I'm gonna knock your dumb ass out, if you and that douche bag don't get the hell out, like Ryleigh told you to," she shot.

"Oh. I'm so terrified," Layla feigned fear.

Barbie narrowed her eyes at Layla, tempted to slap the taste out of her mouth, but she was desperately trying to control herself. "You fucking brat."

"Excuse me?"

"Wow. Who the fuck are you? Vickie Guerrero? Get the fuck out of here," Barbie demanded, getting in the British female's face.

"You stupid bitch!"

George pulled her back. "Layla, calm down. I'll take care of this," he arrogantly spoke. "Barbie, you dumb, dumb girl."

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Don't you dare talk about my girlfriend like that," PJ interjected, walking over, finding rage take him over because of the way George was speaking to her.

"And what the fuck are you gonna do?" George instigated.

PJ took a step closer to the much taller man. Stu got up and walked over to the group. Ryleigh found herself having to fight the tears that wanted to come out. George wad going out of his way to make her life a living hell. And truth be told, he was making her feel terribly uncomfortable with the situation at hand. This was all her fault. She's the reason that George was making his presence known to everyone.

"Ry, are you okay?" Heath asked, concerned, as he walked up to her.

She turned to face him and shook her head. "I can't handle this bullshit anymore," she whispered.

"Ryleigh, you know that you're the problem here. If wouldn't have come here, everything would have been just fine," Layla yelled.

Ryleigh stormed over to her. "Listen, you little British bitch, go the hell away and leave everyone alone. George, stop coming around here. We're not together anymore because of what you did to me. So quit acting like an immature, obnoxious, little prick!" she angrily demanded.

"No one even cares about what you have to say. You're nothing but a whore. You came here to fuck around with wrestlers because you've banged everyone else there is!" Layla retorted.

"You should know what you're talking about, before you open your big fucking mouth," she shot back.

"Right. You don't belong here. No one wants you here. You should've stayed with George and quit being a fucking slut."

"Alright. Layla, George, it's time for you two to leave now," John said, getting completely fed up with the two intrusions. He backed them out of the room, before slamming the door in their faces.

Stu quickly pulled Ryleigh into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Are you okay, sweetheart? You know Layla was just talking all of that rubbish because she's jealous of how amazing you are, right?" he asked, sensing that she was pretty upset with what just went down.

"This really is all my fault. Guys, I'm sorry that I'm the reason George is around and being a dick to everyone," she apologized, failing to meet anyone else's eyes.

"Ry, you don't have to apologize to us. Layla's always been a jealous bitch. George is just a dumbass nuisance. None of this is your fault," Barbie spoke. "Layla and I have never gotten along. I don't think anyone gets along with her."

"She's always been a complete bitch," John agrred.

"We've all got your back," PJ piped in.

"We won't let anything happen to you. Don't let them get the best of you. You're so much better than that," David encouraged her.

"Yeah. Trust me, you don't have to even entertain their mindless comments. Everyone loves you," Stu agreed.

Ryleigh forced a smile. "Thanks, guys. It's just hard to deal with, especially because I'm still new here," she explained.

"You're not that new," Barbie said, giving her a friendly smile. "We love you like you've always been here."

"Thanks." Ryleigh was really grateful that her friends were so awesome. It made everything so much easier to deal with.

* * *

**Raw**

**Ryleigh was in John's corner. He was in the ring with Wade Barrett, the two involved in an intense match up. Ryleigh was desperately trying to keep her focus off of Wade, though she was finding it quite hard to do so.**

**The other members were eyeing her threateningly, as they were supposed to. Justin began walking over to her. She backed up against the barricade, not wanting to be near him. This distracted John from the match. He went to defend Ryleigh but was quickly attacked by the members of Nexus, while Wade focused his attention on the woman standing in front of him. Ryleigh was glaring at him.**

**"Why are you doing this?" she yelled at him.**

**But Wade didn't give her an answer. He just continued smiling menacingly, as he neared her. He stopped in front of her and leaned down towards her body. Ryleigh reached out, instinctively, and slapped him across the face.**

**Wade didn't realize exactly what was going on behind him. He was under the impression that John was getting his ass kicked. What he didn't know was that Randy Orton, R-Truth, John Morrison, Yoshi Tatsu and Mark Henry had come out to help John fight off the group of heels. This allowed John to sneak up behind Wade and use Ryleigh's slap as a distraction to pick him up for an Attitude Adjustment, which he completed perfectly. It didn't matter that it was outside of the ring, as the referee had already called the match in John's favor, due to the Nexus's interference.**

**John quickly pulled Ryleigh into a hug. She clung to him protectively, as the rest of the Nexus pulled Wade up and made their was up the ramp, retreating.**

**Raw ended with the stare down between John and Ryleigh and the hated leader of Nexus.**

* * *

Everyone was headed backstage. Ryleigh was anxious to get to her locker room. She was ahead of everyone else, who were still socializing. She wanted to get her stuff and leave the arena as soon as she could, so she could spend some time with Stu, but not everyone was planning on being so accommodating.

George stepped out from around the corner and backed Ryleigh against the wall. She yelped in surprise.

"Holy shit," she breathed, bringing a hand to her chest, as her breathing became faster, as her body had reacted to the surprise. "George, what the hell are you doing here? Watch out, I'm not doing this."

"We need to talk," he spoke, his eyes on hers, the palms of his hands against the wall, on either side of the much smaller Ryleigh, blocking her from being able to go anywhere without him allowing her to.

"We really don't. Please, just get out of my way," she said.

He brought his body closer to hers. "No. You're going to shut your mouth and listen to me, and you're gonna listen good."

"George, cut it out!" Ryleigh demanded.

"No. You cut it out! Stop bitching and listen to me. You've obviously been making some really bad decisions lately, and I'm willing to forgive you and leave it in the past, if you quit the WWE and come home with me," he proposed his brilliant idea.

"Are you out of your mind? We're not together because I don't want to be with you," she told him. "I don't love you."

Fire flashed through his eyes. "Bullshit," he growled, bringing his face to hers. She actually began feeling slightly fearful of him.

"George, please, stop doing this," she begged him.

As luck would have it, PJ rounded the corner and saw what was going on between the former couple.

"Whoa…George, back up, man. Ryleigh, come here," he said, trying to be nonconfrontational.

"Fuck off," the taller man growled, turning to look at him.

"Man, come on. Stop doing this shit. You're acting like a psychopath," he tried to reason with him. PJ took a step closer, wanting to get Ryleigh out of this dangerous situation as quickly as possible. George pushed him away, and he stumbled back. "Fine." PJ walked away from the two.

"Oh. Would you look at that? Your little friend's a pussy and left you here. You see that, Ry? No one cares about you. No one but me."

Within a few moments, Stu rounded the corner. The second PJ said that Ryleigh was being cornered by George, he had one thing on his mind and one thing only, and that was getting the woman that he loved away from her crazy ex-fiancée. He was followed by John Cena, Randy Orton, John Morrison and the rest of Nexus. Stu immediately grabbed Geroge by the collar of his shirt and yanked him away from Ryleigh.

"Who in the bloody hell do you think you are that you can treat a woman like this? I don't ever want to see you threatening or disrespecting Ryleigh again because so help me God, I will make you suffer," Stu threatened.

George got in Stu's face. "Don't you dare fucking touch me, and who the fuck are you to tell me how to act towards Ryleigh? She was mine first, and she'll be mine again. So, don't you even try to play this knight in shining armor bullshit!" he yelled.

Ryleigh was immediately embraced by Barbie, who had come over, upon hearing the commotion, when she went looking for her boyfriend.

"If I ever see you put your hands on her again, I swear to God, I will break every bone in your entire body without so much as a second thought."

"I'll beat the fuck out of you right here, right now," George stupidly challenged.

Stu laughed bitterly to himself. "Do you honestly think that's a good idea? You've got no backup for yourself, while I've got all of my mates here, ready to kick the piss out of you," Stu pointed out.

"You and me, one on one. I promise that you might think you're some big tough wrestler, but I'll show you that you're nothing more than a joke."

"Are you kidding?" Stu asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm not fucking kidding."

"You sod, I was a professional fighter before I got involved in wrestling. I will tear you apart with no effort. I'm bigger than you, I'm faster than you, I'm smarter than you, and I'm sure as bloody hell a lot smarter than you, you pathetic waste of skin. Now, leave the woman I love the hell alone. I'm not going to put up with this again," Stu warned him, as the two men were nearly nose to nose at this point.

"Hey! You two get away from each other! Stu! Don't threaten George! He's my friend!" Layla screeched, storming down the hallway, finding it necessary to, once again, involve herself in a conflict that had nothing to do with her.

Justin was following behind Layla. "Fuck off, you troll!" he yelled.

The short half of LayCool stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Excuse you!" she yelled.

"You heard me, bitch. Don't make me hurt you."

"Boys can't hit girls!" she shot back.

"Lucky for me you're not a girl. You're a piece of shit!" he yelled.

All hell broke loose, as Justin and Layla got into a war of words, while Stu and George were about ready to pummel each other, though everyone knew that George wouldn't lay a finger on Stu with all of the support backing Stu.

"I can't believe this is happening," Ryleigh whispered. "This is all my fault."

"No, it isn't, Ry. This is George and Layla's fault," Barbie tried to reassure her.

"What the hell is going on back here?" Paul Levesque's voice boomed, as he rounded the corner, his hands on his hips, looking pissed off.

"Layla, why are you fighting with Ryleigh's assistant? And Stu, why are you fighting with Ryleigh's ex-boyfriend?" he questioned. Everyone immediately got silent. With Paul in charge backstage, it would not be considered a good thing that he had to break up a conflict, on his watch. "Somebody better answer me before things go downhill very quickly, for all of you involved."

"These douche bags had to get involved with a discussion between Ryleigh and myself," George finally spoke.

"Is that true?" Paul asked, looking at Ryleigh, who looked like she was just about ready to burst into tears.

"No," she replied. "George cornered me and was flipping out on me. PJ saw what was going on and tried to get George to leave me alone, but he wouldn't, and he pushed PJ. So, PJ got Stu and everyone, so that he would back off and leave me alone," she gave him a quick summary of what transpired.

"And then?"

"All hell broke loose. George was trying to pick a fight with Stu, who was just telling him to stay away from me. Layla came running over, and she and Justin started bickering because they don't get along because she's always picking fights with everyone," she continued to explain the events that had occurred.

Paul rubbed his hands over his face. "Okay. Layla, George, I want you to leave everyone alone with your big dramatic productions. You two have been causing enough trouble lately. Leave Ryleigh, Justin and Stu alone," he insisted. "And everyone, stay away from those two because if things get out of hand, I don't know who's going to get hurt, and I can't promise that there's anyone who will come out unscathed. I don't want to see any of this bullshit happen again," Paul warned. "Layla, George, I want the both of you to come with me right now," he demanded.

"I don't work for you," George shot back.

"Exactly, but you're in my playground now," he replied, raising an eyebrow. Both Layla and George walked toward the future WWE Hall of Famer, who led them away from everyone else, so that he could deal with them on his own.

Once the three were gone, everyone remained silent for a few moments. Ryleigh looked up and her eyes met with Stu's. She immediately was overcome with embarrassment with the situation. She looked away from the object of her affection.

Ryleigh turned around and walked away from everyone, without even thinking. She began jogging towards her locker room, as the tears began flowing out of her eyes. It was bad enough that her personal life was a complete mess, but to have her personal life cause problems in her professional life was something that Ryleigh was not prepared to deal with.

"Ryleigh, sweetheart, wait," Stu's voice called from behind her. He quickly caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her body tightly against him. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of worry and concern.

"No, I'm not. Stu…please, just let me go," she pleadingly asked him. He immediately let her go.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No…I just…I can't deal with all of this right now. I can't handle what's going on," she said, before finding the door to her room, opening, walking inside and shutting the door behind herself.

Stu stood there, feeling like he did something to cause this, even though she told him that he didn't. He felt a dull pain in the pit of his stomach, not wanting to lose probably the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"I'll talk to her," Justin spoke up, as he stood next to Stu. "I think she's just upset about what happened with George and that it became some big scene. Don't worry. Besides, Ryleigh adores you. You're safe," he said, trying to cheer the larger man up.

"I just want her to be okay."

"She'll be fine. I'll make sure, and if something's wrong, I'll make sure it gets fixed and that she talks to you, deal?"

Stu nodded. "Deal. Thanks, Justin. Just make sure she knows how much I really do care about her. She's everything to me. I was just trying to help her."

"I got this," he confidently said, before walking to Ryleigh's door and making his way inside, before closing the door behind himself.

Justin saw Ryleigh on the couch, crying in her hands. "Ry! What the hell are you crying for?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Do you know how embarrassing that was?" she rhetorically asked. "Paul…Triple H…Vince McMahon's son-in-law had to get involved in this bullshit. He had to get involved in my personal problems because they're being exploited backstage, in front of everyone. That's mortifying, and I'm completely humiliated."

"There's no reason for you to feel that way. You did absolutely nothing wrong, and everyone out there knows that. Paul knows it," he tried to comfort her, taking a seat next to his best friend on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his body. She nuzzled her head into his chest, while he held her in his arms.

"But I feel like everyone is thinking that I came here and am causing all of this unnecessary drama, and I wish that none of this was happening. George is just trying to make my life a living hell."

"Don't let that asshole get to you. Everyone knows that you don't want this. They all know that you want nothing more than for George the douche to cut the shit and leave you alone already," he replied.

"All I've done here is cause a huge irritating conflict for Stu, and a huge scene for everyone to watch. Maybe I should just suck it up, quit and go back to being a model and actress and give up on the whole wrestling thing," she suggested.

"Are you kidding me? Why? Why the fuck would you let those twats win? That's stupid, Ryleigh, and you are not stupid," he firmly opposed her suggestion. "And what about Stu? He's out there, worried about you. He doesn't want you going anywhere, if he's not right by your side," he pointed out.

"He would be a lot better off without all the drama and the headaches that I've brought into his life," she breathed. "I've done nothing but cause problems for him, and he's just been so great to me."

"I guarantee that Stu would rather deal with this bullshit and have you here with him than to not deal with it without you," he stated. "That guy is absolutely crazy about you. And if you leave him, you will break his heart. And let's be fair here, you would rather be here with him than anywhere else on the planet." Ryleigh remained completely silent. "Am I right, Ry Ry?" he asked her.

"Yes," she spoke, her voice soft and still full of emotion.

"So, then quit your whining and get over it. I know this whole situation sucks because George the douche is…well, he's a douche, and Layla is just a fucking twat-faced troll, and I'm going to kick her ass."

"Justin, I know it's weird that I haven't really been around him for a long time, but there's something about Stu that I'm completely in love with. I mean…" She pulled away from him. "I think the world of him."

"I know you do, and I wish that you two would just suck it up and be together already," he said.

"I know…"

"So, why would you suggest leaving? That would just make everything so much worse for the both of you…and neither of you did anything wrong to have to suffer that way," he tried to reason with her.

Ryleigh shrugged. "I dunno."

"Promise me that you won't leave. Just let this stuff play out, and we'll figure it out. If we can't come up with a better solution, then, I'll have your back, and we'll leave," he bargained with her.

She considered his words for a few moments, before finally nodding her head. "Okay. That works."

Justin smiled. "Now, if you'd like, we can spend a quiet night in the hotel, ordering chick flicks on Pay-Per-View and getting lots of room service…especially ice cream. Or you can go bang the fuck out of Stu," he offered with a wink.

Ryleigh let a laugh escape her lips. "You're such a jackass," she teased. "I love you. Let's stay in tonight, just the two of us and relax."

"Alright. Works for me," he agreed. "But before we go, can you just give your man a hug? He's really worried about you, and I want him to know that everything's going to be okay with you."

"Okay. Where is he?"

"If I know that hot, studly Englishman as well as I think I do, he's still outside of your door waiting to make sure that you're good."

Ryleigh grinned. She stood up and walked over to the door opening it. As expected, Stu was standing there. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He embraced her, in return.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," she replied. The two pulled apart, and he leaned in giving her a quick kiss to her lips. "I'm going to hang out with Justin tonight, if that's okay with you," she told him.

"Absolutely. Whatever makes you happy, doll. I just wanted to know that you were alright. I was really concerned. I hate it when you're not smiling and happy," he explained, giving her a small smile.

"I'm okay," she assured him.

"Good."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know! It has been quite a long time since I updated! I had some writer's block, even though I knew where I was going with this, and I do know where I'm headed in the future chapters, but for whatever reason, it took a lot for me to get through writing this one. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier to get through. I am dedicating this chapter to msgemgem who's always asking about an update. I hope you enjoyed it my dear :o) Thank you to everyon who's still reading this, I know it has certainly been a while. As I said before, I'm hoping the next chapter isn't too far away, but I don't like to make any promises, just in case lol Anyways, I love you all! XoXoXoXoXo**


End file.
